By Blessing Nweke

A commuter train derailment near Barcelona killed a train driver and injured at least 37 passengers, four of them seriously, as severe storms swept across north-eastern Spain, regional authorities said Tuesday.

The Rodalies service crashed between the towns of Gelida and Sant Sadurní d’Anoia on Tuesday evening after striking a retaining wall that collapsed onto the tracks, according to local officials. Catalonia’s regional fire inspector, Claudi Gallardo, said emergency crews safely removed all passengers from the damaged train.

Emergency services deployed eleven ambulances to the scene in Gelida, about 35 kilometers west of Barcelona, to treat the injured. Some victims were later evacuated to nearby hospitals, including Moisès Broggi, Bellvitge, and Vila Franca, officials said.

The Catalan fire service said 35 rescue crews were sent to the area and confirmed that one passenger trapped inside the carriage was freed. In a subsequent update, firefighters said no one remained onboard and that teams were sweeping the surrounding area to rule out additional victims.

The crash occurred amid intense rainfall and storms battering much of Spain’s northeast, with authorities placing coastal areas in the east and northwest on high alert for severe weather conditions. Investigators are examining whether the weather contributed directly to the collapse of the retaining wall.

Disruptions spread across the region’s rail network on Tuesday, with a separate Rodalies train derailing north-east of Barcelona. Spain’s rail infrastructure operator, Adif, said the axle of that train was struck by a rock dislodged by storm conditions while it was running between Blanes and Maçanet-Massanes. No injuries were reported in that incident, but services on the line were suspended as a precaution.

The Catalonia crashes follow a deadly collision in Adamuz, Andalusia, days earlier, one of Spain’s worst rail disasters in years.