On Tuesday, January 20, in Gelida—about 40 km west of Barcelona—a commuter train plowed into the rubble of a collapsed retaining wall. The crash left one passenger dead and 37 injured, five of them seriously 😢🚆💥.
This marks Spain’s second deadly rail accident in days. Just two days earlier, on Sunday, January 18, two high-speed trains collided in Andalusia, killing 42 people and injuring more than 120—the deadliest rail disaster in Spain in over a decade.
According to Catalonia’s civil protection agency, a recent storm weakened the retaining wall, causing it to buckle onto the tracks. Catalonia’s Interior Minister Nuria Parlon confirmed the casualty figures and announced an urgent safety review. Commuter services have been suspended as investigators inspect the damage.
Meanwhile, Spain’s king and queen visited the Andalusia crash site and survivors in hospital, offering support amid national mourning and calls for immediate action on rail safety.
With public confidence shaken, rail operators and authorities face growing pressure to strengthen infrastructure checks and storm-response protocols. Many commuters are left asking: how safe is the rail network? 🔍🚉
Reference(s):
Second deadly crash in Spain as train smashes into collapsed wall
cgtn.com
