BARCELONA: Spain’s railway system was beneath scrutiny on Wednesday (Jan 21) after a commuter service crashed close to Barcelona, days after at least 43 people were killed in a collision between two high-speed trains.
A practice driver died and 37 folks had been injured – a number of significantly – within the newest incident late on Tuesday. The commuter practice hit a retaining wall that fell onto the tracks in Gelida close to Barcelona, regional officers stated.
Railway operator Adif stated the wall doubtless collapsed resulting from heavy rainfall that has swept throughout Spain’s northeastern area of Catalonia in latest days.
Spain was already reeling from Sunday’s collision within the southern area of Andalusia, the nation’s deadliest rail accident in additional than a decade.
One other physique was recovered on Wednesday on the web site of the accident close to the village of Adamuz, bringing the confirmed dying toll to 43, authorities stated.
“That is an excessive amount of,” the pinnacle of the conservative principal opposition Widespread Celebration, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, wrote on X. His get together demanded an “instant clarification” of the state of the nation’s railways.
Talking to reporters on Tuesday earlier than the Barcelona-area crash, far-right get together Vox’s spokeswoman Pepa Millan stated Spaniards had been now “afraid to get on a practice”.
Raluca Maria Pasca, a 45-year-old waitress, stated she had seen that high-speed trains “have been shaking these days”.
“I’ve felt it myself. They should repair the issue,” she informed AFP on the practice station within the southern metropolis of Cordoba.
Alexandra Leroy, a restaurant proprietor from France who was on vacation in Cordoba, stated she was now “just a little” fearful to take the practice.
“If it simply occurred in Barcelona too, twice, that is loads,” she added.
