Deadly Spanish Train Accident: 12 Dead on Tracks

In Spain, a train hit revellers as they were crossing the track near midnight Wednesday night.

In the seaside resort town of Castelldefels, 12 people were killed and 14 people were injured when a train near Castelldefels Playa station. Other reports indicate that 17 people are injured. The long-distance train does not stop at the station.

Reportedly, the victims were Latin Americans - Ecuadoreans, Chileans, Colombians and Bolivians - headed for a beach party to celebrate the Summer Solstice. Instead of using the underground pedestrian walkway, they were crossing the tracks.

The scene was that of utter carnage. Blood was everywhere with body parts littering the tracks.

Marcelo Cardona, who was on the commuter train, said everyone aboard had been looking forward to dancing around a bonfire on the Mediterranean shore.

"The euphoria of getting off the train immediately became screams. There were people screaming, 'My daughter! My sister!'" said Cardona, a 34-year-old Bolivian. He said he saw "mutilated people, blood everywhere, blood on the platform."

As the investigation got under way Thursday, the chairman of the state railway company RENFE, Teofilo Serrano, said he was "almost certain" the long-distance train was not exceeding the speed limit as it traveled through the station. He said he did not know how fast it was going.

The Spanish news agency Europa Press quoted unnamed RENFE officials as saying the train was doing 139 kilometers per hour (87 mph) and the driver tested negative for alcohol and was in shock. RENFE refused to confirm or deny the report.

The Noche de San Juan celebration takes place across Spain but with particular zeal in the Catalonia region where Barcelona is the regional capital. People light bonfires in town squares and on beaches, dance around them, drink beer, barbecue food and set off fireworks.

Felipe Elmaji, a 29-year-old Moroccan traveling with Cardona, said he heard a "thump, thump of the train hitting people."

Cardona's sister Candy recalled the train's whistle as it tried to warn people to get out of the way. "It was horrible. I can't get that sound out of my head," she said.

Cardona said the underpass was jammed with the overflowing crowd from the train. Mayor Joan Sau blamed recklessness for the deaths.

"If the underpass had been used, we would probably not be talking about this tragedy right now," he said.

But Ruiz said some in the group may have been confused after getting off the commuter train because they did not see signs indicating how to reach the underground passageway. They came across an overpass, but it was blocked off, Ruiz said.

Spanish officials said the station was remodeled last year and has clear signs showing passengers where to exit.

"It had a sign system that was well-made and it had a loudspeaker service that pointed out that the tracks must not be crossed," said Victor Morlan, Spain's secretary for infrastructure.

Catalan regional Interior Minister Joan Saura said the identification of the mutilated bodies "will not be easy and it will not be fast."

Except for one woman in her 40s, all of the injured were 19 or younger and two are minors, said Marta Joves, spokeswoman for the Catalonia government's civil protection department. Of the 14 injured, one is in extremely critical condition, two are in critical condition and four have been treated and released, she said.

The Catalan regional president, Jose Montilla, said declared a day of mourning as he visited the accident scene Thursday. Flags flew at half-mast at the town hall in Castelldefels and rail crews hosed down the bloodied train tracks. Spanish King Juan Carlos also canceled the annual celebration held in honor of his Saint's day.

Enrique Sosa, a chef who works near the train station, said he rushed to the scene and helped wash off a 16-year-old boy covered in other people's blood.

"He was shaking," said Sosa, a 37-year-old Uruguayan.

Sosa then lent the boy his cell phone so he could call home.