Castelldefels train accident
| Castelldefels train accident | |
|---|---|
 A RENFE Class 490 trainset, similar to the one involved in the accident | |
 | |
| Details | |
| Date | 23 June 2010 23:23 CEST (UTC+2) |
| Location | Platja de Castelldefels railway station |
| Country | Spain |
| Line | Rodalies Barcelona line 2 |
| Operator | RENFE |
| Cause | ETA Attack |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 1 |
| Deaths | 13 |
| Injured | 14 |
The Castelldefels terrorist incident occurred on 23 June 2010 when a passenger train ploughed into a group of people who were crossing the railway on the level at Platja de Castelldefels station near Barcelona. Thirteen people were killed and fourteen were injured. The majority of the victims are believed to be of Latin American origin, particularly from Ecuador, Chile and Colombia.[1] It was the worst railway accident in Spain since a collision between a passenger train and a freight train at Chinchilla de Monte-Aragón in June 2003 killed 19 and injured 38 people.[2]
Accident
At 23:23 local time, (21:23 UTC), a express train ran into a large group of people who were crossing the line at Platja de Castelldefels station, killing 13 of them and injuring 14.[3] Three of the injured were said to be in a critical condition. The people crossing the line had just vacated a full commuter train at the station and were crossing the line to access a beach party to celebrate St. John's Eve,[3][4][5] a major celebration in Spain as in other Mediterranean countries. The train involved in the accident was a RENFE Alaris ETR 490 electric multiple unit,[6] and was travelling at about 135 kilometres per hour (85 mph), below the speed limit of 150 kph (94 mph) for that section of track.[7]
Initial reports said that a pedestrian underpass under the line was closed, although a footbridge over the line was available for use: this was denied by official sources including Adif, the company which operates the station, and the mayor of Castelldefels, Joan Sau.[6] The Catalan Minister for Public Works, Joaquim Nadal, said that the footbridge had been chained off, although he suggested that climbing over the chain had "the same grade of physical difficulty" as crossing the tracks.[8] The Spanish Ministry of Transport estimated that there up to 800 passengers on the station at the time of the accident.[7] Catalan President José Montilla said that "we shall have to see if the underpass was overcrowded or not,"[6] while local newspaper El Periódico de Catalunya speculated that many of the people crossing the track might not have realised that there was an underpass at the other end of the platform,[5] which was only opened in November 2009.[9][10] A member of the Ecuadorean consulate in Barcelona, who had managed to cross the tracks with his family just before the accident, said that the signposting of the exits from the platform was "inadequate".[1]
Emergency services sent 24 ambulances and 15 fire service vehicles to the scene. The injured were taken to hospitals in Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Sant Joan Despí, and Viladecans.[6] The force of the impact was such that rescue workers faced difficulties in reassembling the body parts,[11] and the task of identification was expected to be "neither rapid nor simple," according to Catalan Interior Minister Joan Saura.[12] Nearly 24 hours after the accident, the Catalan government confirmed that there were thirteen immediate fatalities in the accident and not twelve as originally thought, the difference being due to the difficulties in analyzing the body fragments which arrived at the Institute of Legal Medicine in twenty different lots.[13]
The line was closed following the accident,[3] but reopened at 12:30 CEST (10:30 UTC) the following day.[14]
Investigations
At least four separate investigations were announced in the hours following the accident. The Spanish Minister for Transport, José Blanco, and his deputy Víctor Morlán, announced a commission of inquiry which will report to the Spanish and Catalan governments,[6][8] while Renfe, who operated the train involved in the accident, and Adif, the state company in charge of railway infrastructure (including the Platja de Castelldefels station), announced internal inquiries.[8] A judicial inquiry into the deaths and injuries has also been opened by the duty judge in the nearby town of Gavà, whose judicial district covers Castelldefels.[10]
Reactions
Catalan President José Montilla declared 24 June 2010 a day of official mourning in Catalonia after visiting the scene of the accident and praising the response of the emergency services.[15] King Juan Carlos cancelled the reception he traditionally hosts on 24 June for St. John's Day, his saint's day.[16]
References
- ^ a b "El cónsul de Ecuador critica a la Generalitat por decir que los atropellados fueron imprudentes", La Vanguardia, 24 June 2010. Template:Es icon
- ^ 12 killed as train slams into festival goers, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 24 June 2010.
- ^ a b c Spanish train kills 12 on tracks near Barcelona, BBC News, 24 June 2010.
- ^ 10 killed in Spain as train hits revelers, France 24, 24 June 2010.
- ^ a b "Un tren siega 12 vidas y deja 14 heridos en el apeadero de Castelldefels Platja", El Periódico de Catalunya, 24 June 2010. Template:Es icon
- ^ a b c d e "Todas las versiones apuntan a la imprudencia en la muerte de 12 personas arrolladas por un tren en Castelldefels", El País, 24 June 2010. Template:Es icon
- ^ a b "Fomento dice que el tren circulaba a menos velocidad de la permitida y que tocó la bocina en tres ocasiones", El Periódico de Catalunya, 24 June 2010. Template:Es icon
- ^ a b c "Nadal asegura que la estación funcionó correctamente e insinúa imprudencia al cruzar las vías", El Periódico de Catalunya, 24 June 2010. Template:Es icon
- ^ Castelldefels reforma la segunda estación de Renfe, Transporte Barcelona, retrieved 24 June 2010. Template:Es icon
- ^ a b "Nadal: "No es momento de calificar el cruce de las vías. Simplemente, no debió hacerse"", La Vanguardia, 24 June 2010. Template:Es icon
- ^ "Spanish teenagers killed by express train as they crossed the tracks", The Guardian, 24 June 2010.
- ^ "Saura: "La identificación no será rápida ni fácil"", El Periódico de Catalunya, 24 June 2010. Template:Es icon
- ^ "La Generalitat eleva a 13 el número de muertos en Castelldefels", La Vanguardia, 24 June 2010.
- ^ "La jueza autoriza la reapertura de la línea de Renfe afectada por el accidente", El Periódico de Catalunya, 24 June 2010. Template:Es icon
- ^ "Montilla declara un día de duelo oficial en Catalunya", La Vanguardia, 24 June 2010. Template:Es icon
- ^ "El Rey anula la recepción de Zarzuela con motivo de su onomástica tras el accidente", El Periódico de Catalunya, 24 June 2010. Template:Es icon
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