At least 1 dead, dozens injured as two trains crash head-on in Catalonia (PHOTO, VIDEO)
At least one person was killed and dozens more were injured as two commuter trains collided head-on in Catalonia, the local Civil Protection service has said.
One person was killed, three are described as critical and 16 others sustained less severe wounds, the service tweeted. At least 76 more passengers suffered minor injuries, it added, while 100 others walked away from the crash unscathed.
Footage from the scene shows two trains literally fused into one another, while shocked and injured passengers rest on the adjacent rail tracks.
Imagen que llega desde el lugar de los hechos en Manresa (Barcelona) pic.twitter.com/B9Do8Djbhz
— 6W (@6W_es) February 8, 2019
Vergonya de @rod4cat nou accident a la R4. Gent ferida a les vies pic.twitter.com/RK18NH4wdA
— Aleix Vergés (@avergess) February 8, 2019
The incident occurred late on Friday in the Sant Vicenç de Castellet municipality of Barcelona. Both trains – that were supposed to be operating on different lines – sustained considerable damage yet managed to stay on tracks.
Accident on R4 towards Manresa a few km from Manresa, 2 trains collided. Thus 2 adjacent cars remained. The Mossos arrive before health personnel. https://t.co/quPZ0pm01xpic.twitter.com/EtGNbJfhVG
— BOC Intel (@blackopscyber1) February 8, 2019
The crash disrupted commuter traffic as the R4 and R12 lines have been closed by the train operator until further notice.
Així que tots els trens circulen amb normalitat... @Renfe@rodalies@324cat Acaben de xocar 2 trens a Castellgalí amb ferits #rodaliescatalunya#accident#r4pic.twitter.com/bxvwNV6KJL
— Laia Camps 🎗 (@laiiacamps) February 8, 2019
Some 400 people were stranded due to the incident, the train operator has said. The people, stranded due to the crash, have been evacuated from the scene by buses.
Gent dels trens que han xocat a #Clastellgalipic.twitter.com/iXBfDPlNXt
— Nati Adell (@Natiadell) 8 февраля 2019 г.
A train was also dispatched to the scene to pick up the injured and those who could not walk to board relief buses. Before that, people were forced to wait for more than an hour at the tracks. Footage from the scene shows that night had already fallen when the spare train arrived.
S'enduen amb un altre tren els ferits que no han pogut evacuar ni sortir pel seu propi peu #castellgalipic.twitter.com/Acz9OPAo3g
— Nati Adell (@Natiadell) 8 февраля 2019 г.
The exact cause of the incident remains unknown so far. The train operator announced it will launch an internal investigation into the crash.
The person killed in the collision was reportedly the driver of the train, which was on its correct track.
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