Two trains derail in Spain after deadly railway crash

BARCELONA — Two separate trains derailed in Spain's northeastern region of Catalonia on Tuesday evening, killing one driver and injuring 37, after a deadly train collision that killed more than 40 people on Sunday, Spanish national television RTVE reported.

According to Catalan emergency services, one of the derailments occurred on the R4 suburban line near the town of Gelida in Barcelona Province, where a retaining wall alongside the railway line suddenly collapsed as a train was passing. The collapse forced the train to derail and damaged the driver's cab.

Gelida Mayor Lluis Valls told local media that four of the injured were in critical condition, six sustained serious injuries, and the others suffered minor wounds.

Emergency services dispatched 11 ambulances and a fire brigade unit to the scene. Preliminary assessments suggested that heavy rainfall in recent days may have led to the collapse of the retaining wall.

The other derailment occurred in Girona Province between the stations of Blanes and Macanet-Massanes. Authorities said storms caused rocks to fall onto the tracks, leading to the subsequent derailment.

Both incidents occurred as severe weather hit Spain's Mediterranean coast. The State Meteorological Agency and the Meteorological Service of Catalonia have warned of a significant storm in the region from Saturday through Wednesday, with the Catalan coastline at the center of the impact.

The crashes happened two days after a deadly high-speed train collision near Adamuz in southern Spain killed at least 42 people and injured more than 100. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday announced three days of official mourning following the crash.

Dressed in dark clothing, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia shook hands with emergency services workers near the spot where the mangled wreckage of the two trains remains.

They then visited a hospital in the nearby city of Cordoba where some of the injured are being treated.

Speaking to reporters after leaving the hospital, Felipe said he wanted to "convey the affection of the entire country" to the victims.

Santiago Salvador, a Portuguese national who broke a leg in the crash, said he felt lucky to be alive.

"I was thrown through the carriage, it felt like being on a carousel,"Salvador, his face covered in cuts, told Portuguese state television RTP.

Xinhua - Agencies