Number of injured in Spanish train crash rises to 35

MADRID, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- A total of 35 people were injured with two of them in serious conditions, following a train crash in the south of Spain on Wednesday, rescue services have confirmed.

The accident happened at around 10:10 a.m. between the stations of El Sorbito and Arahal in the province of Sevilla as the third wagon of train traveling between Malaga and Sevilla and carrying 79 passengers came off the rails, with the train continuing for around 200 meters before finally coming to a halt.

This occurred on a six kilometer-stretch of track which had been closed because of flooding following heavy rainfall and reopened less than an hour before the accident after being declared safe.

The central government delegate to the region of Andalusia, Antonio Sanz, explained that the likely cause of the crash was the filtration of water onto the tracks, while photos published of the site in the Spanish media show the tracks under water and with part of the track bed apparently washed away.

Meanwhile President of the Andalusian regional government, Susana Diaz, asked Spanish ADIF, the company in charge of the infrastructure of Spain's railways for "explanations why the railway line had been re-opened in the conditions it was in".

The two most seriously injured people, one of whom is confirmed to have a fractured pelvis, were evacuated to the Virgin de Rocio Hospital in Seville, which activated its emergency protocol.

The work of the emergency services was complicated by the weather conditions which had turned the field around the railway to heavy mud and in some cases emergency services were only able to arrive after being ferried to the site by tractor, quad bikes and military vehicles.

In addition, Spanish train operator RENFE put on a special train to take emergency workers to the site to avoid them having to travel cross country.

Ambulances, Civil Guard, the Fire Brigade and Regional Civil Protection all sent units to the scene and many of the injured were treated on-site before being taken to hospitals in the region. Enditem