Firefighters and emergency workers stand by the derailed cars of a commuter train that went off the tracks near Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2018. Authorities in Spain say one person has died and six have been slightly injured when a landslide derailed the commuter train traveling toward Barcelona early on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Republished November 20, 2018 - 4:57 AM
Original Publication Date November 19, 2018 - 11:21 PM
VACARISSES, Spain - A commuter train travelling toward Barcelona was derailed by a landslide on Tuesday, killing one person and injuring dozens, Spanish authorities said.
The regional civil protection agency said that two train cars of a convoy of six came off the tracks at 6.15 a.m. local (0515 GMT) near Vacarisses, some 45 kilometres northwest of Barcelona.
Firefighters and emergency workers evacuated 131 commuters and sent to hospital 11 of the 44 people injured. Three of them are seriously hurt, according to the civil protection agency.
Spanish railway operator spokesman Antonio Carmona told local media that heavy rain in the area over the past few days could have caused the landslide.
Recent downpours have battered Spain. A woman died Sunday after a river flooded its banks in the northwestern Galicia region. And on Monday, huge waves swept away the balconies of a sea-side apartment building on the Canary island of Tenerife.
The heavy rains have also caused travel disruption and damage to farmland across the country.
News from © The Associated Press, 2018