BARCELONA – On Monday, one person was killed and another 86 injured in the collision between two trains that happened in the afternoon at the exit of Sant Boi de Llobregat station in the metropolitan area of Barcelona.
The person who died was the driver of one of the damaged trains, the passenger train; the other was a freight train and ‘potash’, a mixture of salts. The third wagon of the latter derailed and hit the cabin of the passenger train head-on, the driver of which died on the spot.
80 Injured in train collision
Of the 80 injured (86 according to some sources), nine were hospitalised. However, the Generalitat, owner of the public company Ferrocarrils de Catalunya (FGC) that operates this railway, reported in Spanish media that none of the passengers were seriously injured. Moreover, 77 of the injured were treated on the spot. They were later transported by bus to the next station along with other passengers.
The train ran in the Llobregat and Anoia region in Barcelona. At 6.00 pm, the almost 150 passengers heard a loud bang. The train came to a sudden stop and many passengers fell to the ground. According to witnesses, panic and uncertainty arose because no one knew exactly what had happened.
Quick help
Because the collision took place close to the station, the emergency services were quickly on the spot. The passenger train was leaving Sant Boi station at that time and was nearly full. Furthermore, the derailment of the wagon of the other train, which was approaching the terminus, took place in a bend. For this reason, the driver of the passenger train didn’t stand a chance. The wagon drilled into its cabin with great force.
