MONTMELO – A tragic accident claimed the lives of four young people between the ages of 19 and 22 on Sunday evening. They were hit by a commuter train as they tried to cross the tracks in an “unauthorised and poorly visible place”.
The Spanish railway company Renfe confirmed this to the newspaper Eldiario.es. The accident took place in Montmeló, a municipality near Barcelona. The victims were on their way to the Duro Festival, an event known as “Catalonia’s first hard techno festival”. The festival took place near the Circuit de Catalunya and attracted mainly a young audience.
Emergency services attempted to rescue one of the critical victims, but unfortunately, this person also died shortly after the incident. The four victims, three women and one man were part of a group of seven. The three other people were taken to Mollet del Vallès hospital with minor injuries.
Warnings from local residents
Alberto Serrano and Vicente, two local residents, point out the dangers of the crossing in question. “It is easy to cross here but visibility is poor through a small bend. We have previously asked to close this point,” Vicente said.
Festival not cancelled
Despite the tragic incident, the festival, with more than 15,000 visitors, went ahead. Many attendees were unaware there had been a train accident until they learned via social media. The Mossos d’Esquadra, the Catalan police, had advised against an evacuation from the festival due to logistical complications for the young people present.
Research and emergency services
Catalan authorities have launched a thorough investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident. The Sistema de Emergencias Médicas (SEM) sent nine ambulances and a helicopter to the scene, as well as three psychologists to provide support to the victims’ families. The conductor of the train in question also had to be treated for an anxiety attack.
Previous train accident
Pere Aragonès, the president of the Catalan government, and Raquel Sánchez, the acting minister of transport, expressed their condolences to the families of the victims. It also points to a previous tragic incident in 2010, when a train struck a group of young people in Castelldefels, resulting in 13 deaths and several injuries.
