FOURTH train crash in Spain in just days as dozens left injured

A spokesman for emergency services in the southeastern Murcia region said: "The train hasn't been overturned nor derailed."

The crash occurred near Murcia's Cartagena.

It came after Sunday's deadly high-speed train collision in the southern Andalusia region that killed at least 43 people and two other crashes in Catalonia on Tuesday.

Spanish rail operator Adif said on X that traffic on that line was interrupted due to "the intrusion into the infrastructure gauge by a crane not belonging to the railway operation", without providing further details.

A commuter train derailed on Tuesday after a retaining wall collapsed onto the track during heavy rains near Barcelona, killing the driver and seriously injuring four passengers.

A third derailment of a train on Barcelona's regional network, which left no injuries, was caused by a rock falling on the line during the same storm.

Spain's train drivers' union SEMAF called a three-day nationwide strike on February 9 to 11 to demand measures to guarantee railway safety following a series of deadly accidents.

A SEMAF spokesman said: "We are going to demand criminal liability from those responsible for ensuring safety in the railway infrastructure."

Spanish rail operator Adif said it had introduced a further speed limit on the Madrid-Barcelona line after a driver had reported poor conditions on the track in a 78-kilometre stretch.

On Tuesday, it had ordered drivers to limit their speed because of concerns about the state of the track.

Its maintenance team had worked overnight to inspect the line and found four points that needed to be repaired, Adif said in a statement.

The accidents are causing chaos for commuters and travellers, who were scrambling for alternatives.

Regional trains across Catalonia were suspended on Wednesday to allow for track inspections after the recent storms.

Rescuers at the Adamuz crash site found another body, increasing the death toll to 43, as they prised apart the second carriage of the train belonging to state operator Renfe, which contained its cafeteria.

Overnight they had used cranes to remove one of the final carriages of the derailed train run by private consortium Iryo from the scene.

Officers said the time between the derailment and the collision was just nine seconds, giving the trains no time to brake. Authorities had previously said the gap was 20 seconds.