Driver killed in Spain's 2nd deadly train accident in days

commuter train rail in serve in Spain's northeast Catalonia neighborhood was suspended Wednesday after a Barcelona commuter train crashed the night before, Spanish authorities said.

At least one person died in the Barcelona-area crash, and 37 others were injured as crews worked at night to complete the rescue effort. The train hit a retaining wall that fell onto the tracks, authorities said.

The crash in northeastern Spain happened during a three-day period of national mourning after a separate deadly train collision killed at least 42 people in the country's south on Sunday. Dozens more were injured, and the cause of that crash is still under investigation.

The victim of the Tuesday night crash was a trainee train driver, regional authorities said. Of the 37 people affected, five were seriously injured. Six others were in less serious condition, emergency services said.

The suspension of commuter trains Wednesday morning caused significant traffic jams on roads leading into Barcelona. Regional authorities in Catalonia asked people to reduce unnecessary travel and companies to allow remote work while the disruptions continued.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez acknowledged the Barcelona area crash, writing on X on Tuesday night: "All my affection and solidarity with the victims and their families."

While Spain's high-speed rail network runs smoothly, the commuter rail service is plagued by reliability issues, though accidents causing injury or death are not common in either.

The commuter train crashed near the town of Gelida, located about 35 minutes outside of Barcelona.

Spain's railway operator ADIF said the containment wall likely collapsed due to heavy rainfall that swept across the northeastern Spanish region this week. Commuter train service was cancelled along the line, it said.

High-speed train derails in Spain, collides with another train

The nation was still mourning the victims of deadly train accident that took place some 800 kilometres away on Sunday.

Fidel Saez lost his mother in the wreck, but his two children, his brother and a nephew survived. Their trip to the capital to see musical The Lion King turned into a nightmare on the way home.

"My brother has been taken off respirator. He told me that it was a miracle that he is alive. He had to get the children through a window," Saez told national TV broadcaster TVE. "He also asked me to tell the story of our mother, how good she was."

Health authorities said 39 people remained in hospitals on Tuesday morning, while 83 people were treated and discharged.

Among them was Emil Johnson, a Swedish citizen based in Malaga who was traveling to Madrid to renew his passport.

"It was probably two, three seconds. And everything was broken," Johnson, sitting in a wheelchair due to bruises on his ribs and back and dressed in part of a hospital gown, told reporters. "When we crashed, I didn't know who was alive and who was dead."

Amid the tragedy, it emerged that a six-year-old girl survived the wreck without major injury, while her parents, brother and cousin all died.

The mayor of their hometown called her survival a "miracle."

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