A Spanish commuter train crashed into a buffer early Friday at a station in northeastern Barcelona, tossing passengers to the floor and leaving 56 people injured, officials said.
Regional health chief Antoni Comi said 54 people in all received medical treatment, with 51 taken to city hospitals. He said just one person was seriously injured.
“When the train arrived at Francia station, it applied the brakes, but at the same time it made a noisy crash,” said Said Saharaui, a passenger on the train.
Spanish firefighters and paramedics treat injured people at Francia Railway Station in Barcelona on Friday. The crash coincided with a strike by rail workers. (Quique Garcia/EPA)
“The passengers were thrown to the floor,” he said. “Even though the train did brake, it wasn’t until the crash when it reached a full stop.”
There was damage to the train’s nose and between the train’s first and second car.
Train recently passed inspection
Public Works Minister Inigo de la Serna, who visited the scene of the accident, said the train had passed its most recent inspection on July 18. He said officials are investigating data and equipment from the driver’s cabin to try to determine cause of the accident.
He said the 31-year-old driver has eight years of service on commuter trains.
The accident happened at 7.15 a.m. local time. The train had started at the coastal town of Sant Vicenç de Calders, south of Barcelona.
Immediately following the accident, emergency services gave several different figures for the number of passengers injured.
Several Spanish firefighters and paramedics treat injured people at the Francia Railway Station. According to the Spanish public works minister, one person was seriously injured. (Quique Garcia/EPA)
Comi said some 18 emergency service units were deployed.
“We were able to attend to the injured very quickly,” he said.
Barcelona’s Clinic Hospital said the seriously injured passenger was a man and that his life was not in danger.
Crash comes amid strike
The accident came as RENFE rail workers staged a one-day strike. The affected train was running as part of minimum services ordered by the Public Works ministry.
Many people were beginning their summer holidays on Friday, with Barcelona and surrounding towns popular destinations.
Francia is Barcelona’s second main train station after Sants, which handles the bullet train and most intercity services.
