Spain passenger train crash leaves 4 dead, dozens injured

O PORRINO, Spain — At least four people died and around 50 were injured Friday when a train came off the tracks in northwestern Spain on its way to Portugal, just as it was approaching a station. The Portuguese driver was among the dead in the accident, which saw the train hit the wall of a bridge and smash into a pillar, according to the mayor of the nearby town of O Porrino. Pictures posted online and in local media showed one carriage of the train, which was carrying at least 65 people, lying on its side, the front completely caved in and mangled. Helicopters, ambulances and fire engines rushed to the scene to attend to the victims, some of whom were thought to be seriously injured. A passenger said in a video posted on local daily La Voz de Galicia that the train suddenly started wobbling. “It wouldn’t stop. I was sitting down and I fell to the ground,” she said. “And then the train stopped. It was that quick.” Ramon Gonzalez, a witness interviewed by Spanish television who works in the station cafeteria near the accident, said there was a “very strong bang.” “It was full of black smoke ... It’s a straight line, the train was due to stop in 50 meters (164 feet), so this isn’t normal. “There are still some injured here but not very serious, the seriously injured were quickly evacuated.” The train was traveling from the Galician town of Vigo to the city of Porto in Portugal when the accident happened near O Porrino. — AFP