Spain sees third rail crash in one week as train hits crane in Cartagena

A commuter train crashed into a construction crane in southeastern Spain on Thursday, in the country's third rail crash in less than a week.

Several people suffered minor injuries in the crash near the port city of Cartagena in the Murcia region, authorities said.

“The train hasn't been overturned or derailed,” a spokesperson for Murcia's emergency services said. The first calls about the crash came in just after noon, they added.

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 later posting said services had resumed on the line.

Spain is still reeling from Sunday's high-speed train collision in the southern Andalusia region that killed at least 43 people.

Two days later, a commuter train derailed after a containment wall fell on the track due to heavy rain near Barcelona, killing the driver and seriously injuring four passengers.

The main train drivers’ union called a three-day nationwide strike from February 9 to 11 on Wednesday over safety standards.

“The serious accidents in Adamuz and Gelida, both with fatalities, are a turning point in demanding all necessary actions to guarantee the safety of railway operations,” the train operators’ union SEMAF said in a statement.

It added that it would demand criminal liability from “those responsible for ensuring safety in the railway infrastructure”.