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Barcelona Train Crash Kills 1 In Spain’s Second Rail Accident In Days

Published

4 months ago

January 21, 2026

A commuter train near Barcelona ploughed into the rubble of a collapsed wall on Tuesday, killing one and injuring dozens in Spain’s second deadly rail accident in days.

The latest incident is likely to raise more questions about Spanish transport safety, coming two days after the collision of two high-speed trains in the southern region of Andalusia killed 42 people, the country’s deadliest rail accident in more than a decade.

On Tuesday, “a retaining wall collapsed onto the tracks, causing an accident involving a passenger train” in the municipality of Gelida, around 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of Barcelona, the Catalonia region’s civil protection agency posted on social media.

The northeastern region’s Interior Minister, Nuria Parlon, told local media the crash killed one person and injured 37 — several seriously.

“We regret to announce the death of one of the passengers on the train,” said Parlon, adding authorities had not yet completed the identification process of the deceased.

“Of the total number of people treated, five are in serious condition,” she added.

Emergency workers used torches to survey the wreckage of the derailed train carriage, which had turned into a mass of crumpled metal, an AFP reporter saw on Tuesday night.

Spanish rail infrastructure operator Adif said a storm caused a wall to fall, creating the rubble that the train slammed into. Catalan commuter trains would remain suspended, it added.

Earlier on Tuesday, Spain’s king and queen visited the site where two high-speed trains collided on Sunday as well as survivors of the accident that injured more than 120 people, 37 of whom are still in hospital.

The country’s deadliest rail accident in more than 12 years took place when a train operated by rail company Iryo, travelling from Malaga to Madrid, derailed near Adamuz in the southern Andalusia region.

It crossed onto the other track, where it crashed into an oncoming train heading to the southern city of Huelva, which also derailed.

Dressed in dark clothing, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia shook hands with emergency services workers near the spot where the mangled wreckage of the trains lay.

They then visited a hospital in the nearby city of Cordoba, where some of the injured are being treated.

Speaking to reporters after leaving the hospital, Felipe said he wanted to “convey the affection of the entire country” to the victims.

Santiago Salvador, a Portuguese national who broke a leg in the accident, said he felt lucky to be alive.

“I was thrown through the carriage; it felt like being on a carousel,” Salvador, his face covered in cuts, told Portuguese state television RTP.

“It looked like hell. There were people who were very seriously injured.”

Sunday’s derailment was Spain’s deadliest rail accident since 2013, when 80 people were killed after a train veered off a curved section of track outside the northwestern city of Santiago de Compostela.

Flags flew at half-mast on public buildings, television anchors wore black, and cabinet ministers curtailed public appearances as Spain observed the first of three days of national mourning.

The government has vowed a full and transparent investigation into the cause of the accident.

Unlike the 2013 disaster, the derailment occurred on a straight section of track, and the trains were travelling within the speed limit of 250 kilometres (155 miles) for the area concerned, officials said.

Spanish media report that the probe is focusing on a crack more than 30 centimetres (12 inches) long in the track at the site of the accident.

The crack may have resulted from “a poor weld or a weld that deteriorated due to train traffic or weather”, daily newspaper El Mundo reported, citing unidentified technicians with access to the inquiry.

Transport Minister Oscar Puente said investigators were looking to see if a broken section of rail was “the cause or the result” of the derailment.

He said the Iryo train was “practically new” and the section of track where the disaster happened had been recently renovated, making the accident “extremely strange”.

Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said “the possibility of sabotage was never considered” and that “there has never been any element suggesting otherwise.”

The head of state rail operator Renfe, Alvaro Fernandez Heredia, said human error has “been practically ruled out”.

Rail operator Adif on Tuesday also imposed a temporary 160 kph speed limit on parts of the high-speed line between Madrid and Barcelona after train drivers reported bumps.

Maintenance crews will inspect the tracks overnight, and the restriction is expected to be lifted if no issues are found, the company added.

Related Topics:Barcelona Train Spain Train

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Woman Passes Out After Receiving 100 Strokes Of Cane

Published

4 days ago

May 24, 2026

Editor

A woman has passed out after she and her partner were each flogged 100 times in public for engaging in sex outside marriage under strict Sharia laws in Indonesia’s Aceh province.

The woman, whose identity was not disclosed, was later carried away after the punishment was carried out in Banda Aceh, located at the northern tip of Sumatra island on Thursday.

A masked official dressed in brown robes administered the caning before members of the public who gathered to witness the punishment.

Her partner was also seen wincing in pain while receiving the lashes.

The pair were among several individuals punished for violating Sharia regulations in the province.

Authorities from the Banda Aceh Sharia Court and the Prosecutor’s Office handed down punishments ranging from 25 to 100 lashes for offences including extramarital sex allegedly arranged through online applications.

Aceh remains the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia operating under Sharia law, where unmarried couples are prohibited from having sexual relations.

Caning is commonly used in the province as punishment for offences such as gambling, alcohol consumption, same-sex relations and sex outside marriage.

Under Aceh’s Sharia regulations, child rape offenders face some of the harshest penalties, including up to 200 strokes of the cane, a prison sentence of as long as 200 months or fines equivalent to two kilograms of gold.

The punishments are usually carried out publicly as a way of shaming offenders in addition to inflicting physical pain.

Such canings are often conducted outside mosques or in open public spaces, with residents watching and taking photographs during the exercise.

Human rights organisations have continued to condemn the practice, arguing that it causes emotional trauma and violates international human rights standards.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly criticised the punishments, saying they conflict with Indonesia’s constitution and global legal obligations.

Amnesty said in a statement: “Caning contravenes Indonesia’s constitution and is in clear violation of international human rights law and standards.

‘It constitutes a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and can amount to torture in violation of the UN Convention against Torture and other international covenants, to which Indonesia is a State Party.’”

Despite the criticism, local authorities have defended the punishments as part of Aceh’s religious and cultural identity, insisting they serve as a deterrent against immoral behaviour.

Earlier in January, another couple in the province reportedly received 140 lashes each after being found guilty of drinking alcohol and engaging in sex outside marriage.

(Daily Mail)

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Senegal’s President Sacks Prime Minister After Months-long Feud

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4 days ago

May 24, 2026

Editor

Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has sacked Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolved the government following months of rising political tension between the two former allies.

The decision was announced in a surprise decree read on national television by a presidential aide, stating that Faye had “ended the duties” of Sonko and “consequently those of the ministers and secretaries of state who are members of the government”.

Sonko, who remains a highly influential figure among Senegal’s youth, responded on social media, saying he would “sleep with a light heart”.

The political fallout comes at a time of growing economic strain in the country, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) putting Senegal’s public debt at 132% of its GDP.

His removal followed a tense parliamentary session on Tuesday, where Sonko openly criticised President Faye’s handling of the debt situation.

The development is striking given that Faye’s rise to power was largely tied to Sonko’s popularity and political backing.

Sonko would almost certainly have contested the presidency himself in 2024, but was barred from the race due to a defamation conviction. Instead, he threw his support behind Faye, rallying voters with the slogan “Diomaye is Sonko, Sonko is Diomaye”.

The alliance helped unseat former President Macky Sall in a dramatic electoral victory, despite both men having been released from prison only days before the vote.

Tensions between the two leaders had been building for months, with Faye reportedly accusing Sonko of excessive dominance within the ruling Pastef party, while Sonko accused the president of weak leadership and failing to defend him against critics.

(BBC News)

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Six Nigerians Arrested In Thailand Over AI-Powered Romance Scam

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4 days ago

May 24, 2026

Editor

Six Nigerian nationals have been arrested by the Thailand Police Force for allegedly operating an AI-powered deepfake romance scam syndicate from a luxury condominium along the Chao Phraya River in Nonthaburi Province, following a cocaine trafficking investigation that exposed their activities.

Thai authorities said the operation began after police arrested a Nigerian suspect identified as Patrick and three associates in April over alleged drug trafficking offences. During the raid, officers reportedly seized assets valued at about 2.5 million baht.

Investigators said financial transactions linked to the suspects led them to several foreign nationals living in a high-end riverside condominium near Phra Nangklao Bridge in Nonthaburi. Police discovered that many of the occupants were staying in groups of five or six per apartment under student visas despite not being enrolled in any educational institution or engaged in lawful employment.

According to Thai police, officers executed search warrants on three condominium units on May 22. The suspects allegedly refused to open their doors, forcing authorities to break into the apartments.

Videos circulating on X captured the moment police officers forcefully gained entry into one of the apartments before arresting the suspects.

During the operation, one suspect reportedly attempted to escape by climbing over a balcony, while another was found hiding on the bathroom floor while allegedly sending warning messages to occupants in neighbouring units.

Police recovered 18 mobile phones, three laptop computers and three bank passbooks from the apartments. Authorities said some of the phones were still logged into active conversations with victims at the time of the raid.

Investigators alleged that the syndicate specialised in romance scams targeting older Thai women by using AI-generated faces and manipulated video calls to create fake online identities.

The suspects allegedly posed as pilots, United States military officers, doctors and engineers to gain the trust of victims before requesting money under false pretences.

Police said the fraudsters typically claimed that valuable packages or gifts sent to victims had been withheld by customs officials and required payment of clearance fees before release.

Authorities also said they recovered scripts for sexually explicit conversations allegedly used to emotionally manipulate victims into transferring funds. Investigators claimed the group relied heavily on artificial intelligence technology to generate realistic Western faces for fake video interactions.

Thai police said all six suspects are currently facing preliminary charges bordering on illegal association and immigration overstay, while additional fraud and romance scam charges are expected to follow as investigations continue.