train crash spain barcelona
© Twitter / laiiacampsWitness Laia Camps has described seeing many injured passengers, including children and elderly persons.
At least one person was killed and dozens more were injured as two commuter trains collided head-on in Catalonia, the local Civil Protection service has said.

One person was killed, three are described as critical and 16 others sustained less severe wounds, the service tweeted. At least 76 more passengers suffered minor injuries, it added, while 100 others walked away from the crash unscathed.

Footage from the scene shows two trains literally fused into one another, while shocked and injured passengers rest on the adjacent rail tracks.


The incident occurred late on Friday in the Sant Vicenç de Castellet municipality of Barcelona. Both trains - that were supposed to be operating on different lines - sustained considerable damage yet managed to stay on tracks.

The crash disrupted commuter traffic as the R4 and R12 lines have been closed by the train operator until further notice.

Some 400 people were stranded due to the incident, the train operator has said. The people, stranded due to the crash, have been evacuated from the scene by buses.

A train was also dispatched to the scene to pick up the injured and those who could not walk to board relief buses. Before that, people were forced to wait for more than an hour at the tracks. Footage from the scene shows that night had already fallen when the spare train arrived.


The exact cause of the incident remains unknown so far. The train operator announced it will launch an internal investigation into the crash.

The person killed in the collision was reportedly the driver of the train, which was on its correct track.