Driver killed and 37 people injured in Barcelona train crash

Driver killed and several injured after train derails near Barcelona, local media report13 minutes agoShareSaveThomas MackintoshandGuy HedgecoeShareSave

Fire crews inspect the wreckage of the train in Catalonia

Catalonian fire service Fire crews inspect the wreckage of a train in Catalonia — Fire crews inspect the wreckage of the train in Catalonia

A train driver has been killed and at least 37 people injured, five seriously, after a commuter train derailed and crashed near Barcelona.

According to local officials, the Rodalies train collided with a retaining wall which fell onto the track between Gelida and Sant Sadurní on Tuesday evening.

Catalonia regional fire Inspector Claudi Gallardo said all passengers had been removed from the train.

The incident occurred as heavy storms battered north-eastern Spain, as coastal areas in the east and north-west of Spain are on high alert because of the weather.

Eleven ambulances were on the scene in Gelida, Catalonia – around 35km (21.7 miles) west of Barcelona – treating those injured, emergency services said.

The local fire service said 35 crews had been sent to the area and one passenger trapped inside the train had been rescued.

In a later update it said that no-one remained inside and that its crews were conducting a sweep of the area to rule out any further victims.

Emergency services said they had evacuated some of the injured to nearby Moisès Broggi, Bellvitge, and Vila Franca hospitals.

As well as the five seriously injured people, six were in a less serious condition and 26 were in a "mild" condition, emergency medical services said.

Local police shared an image of emergency services at the scene near Gélida

Mossos Two emergency services workers stand in the middle of a road turning next to an emergency response vehicle with its lights on in the dark. — Local police shared an image of emergency services at the scene near Gélida

Another train on the Barcelona commuter network also derailed on Tuesday.

"The axle was struck by a rock dislodged by the storm," Spain's rail network operator Adif said in a statement.

The train was running between Blanes and Maçanet-Massanes, north-east of Barcelona.

No injuries have been reported and services have been suspended.

The crashes in Catalonia come two days after two high-speed trains collided in Adamuz, Andalusia, in one of the worst Spanish rail accidents in over a decade.

At least 42 people are known to have died after carriages on a Madrid-bound train derailed and crossed over to the opposite tracks and then collided with an oncoming high-speed train.

Catalonia SpainMore from the BBC6 hrs ago Rescue workers - one with a sniffer dog - walk next to the wreckage of a train crash in Spain.