Desperate search to find Boro – the dog who survived Spanish train horror

Wrapped in a blanket, a bandage on her cheek, Ana García made a desperate appeal for help to find her dog, Boro, following a devastating high-speed train crash in Spain.

Just hours earlier, Ms García, 26, and her pregnant sister were travelling with Boro from their hometown of Malaga to the capital, Madrid, when the tail of their train car derailed.

It was then struck by an oncoming train and plunged down an adjacent slope, for reasons yet to be determined.

The horrific incident claimed at least 42 lives and left more than 150 injured, with some victims tragically close to Ms García.

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Rescue teams managed to free her and her sister from the tilted carriage. Amidst the chaos, Ms García briefly saw Boro before he fled, prompting her urgent plea for his safe return.

After receiving medical treatment, a limping García told reporters she was going back to find him.

“Please, if you can help, look for the animals,” she said, choked up and holding back tears. “We were coming back from a family weekend with the little dog, who’s family, too.”

In the aftermath of one of Spain’s worst railway disasters, Spaniards on social media rallied to find Boro and major Spanish media outlets have reported on the search for the missing mutt.

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Thousands amplified García’s call, sharing video of her interview. Photos of Boro, a medium-sized black dog with white eyebrows and a tuft of white fur on his chest, went viral alongside phone numbers for García and her family. The Associated Press was not able to reach anyone through these numbers.

Television broadcaster TVE’s filming of the crash site Monday afternoon brought a jolt of hope: for a few short seconds, a dog resembling Boro could be seen running through a nearby field — an area fenced off while investigators and rescuers continue their search for victims and evidence. But no one managed to locate the elusive pup.

Spain’s animal rights political party received permission from the Interior Ministry to send an animal rescue patrol inside the perimeter and will do so on Wednesday, its president, Javier Luna, said in a video posted on X.

“I want to send a message to the family, who are going through a very difficult time (...) I am giving you hope because I am sure we will find him,” Luna said.