Spanish train crash outside Barcelona injures 115

Two trains have collided on the outskirts of Barcelona, injuring at least 155 people.

The crash happened around 07:50 local time and took place at a station in Spain’s Catalonia region. 

The trains had been travelling in the same direction and one of the trains crashed into a parked train at the station. 

Police are investigating how the crash occurred. 

Emergency services have said 155 people had been injured, with 14 passengers transferred to a local medical centre for further treatment. 

“We’re talking about many bruises and some head injuries, but nothing serious,” Joan Carles Gomez, an emergency services official said, adding that the passengers were being examined to “rule out any fractures”.

Mr Gomez added that the train was moving “very slowly but people who were standing up fell over and hurt themselves”.

Urgent explanations demanded

There was some brief disruption on several lines due to the accident, the regional government said. 

The president of the Catalan regional government, Pere Aragonès i Garcia, called for urgent “explanations” into the causes of the crash from the rail operator Renfe and the Spanish government.

And the speaker of the regional assembly, Laura Borràs, said it was “imperative” that the incident was not repeated. She tweeted: “Catalans deserve safe” rail transportation.

Crashes on Catalonia’s regional train system are not uncommon, with regional officials blaming them on a lack of rail funding from the central government.