A six-year-old girl has emerged as the sole survivor of a devastating high-speed train collision in southern Spain, after her parents, brother and cousin were killed in the crash that has plunged the country into mourning.
The child was found on Sunday night walking alone along the railway tracks shortly after the collision between two trains, one of Europe’s deadliest in recent years.
Spanish media reported that the girl, whose identity has not been officially released, suffered only a minor head injury despite the severity of the accident.
The family had been returning home to Aljaraque, a coastal town near Huelva on Spain’s Atlantic coast, after a trip to Madrid.
The outing included a visit to see The Lion King musical, which had been given to the children as a gift for the feast of Epiphany, a major Spanish holiday celebrated alongside Christmas.
According to regional broadcaster Canal Sur, the family also toured Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium during the trip.
The mayor of Aljaraque, Adrián Cano, described the child’s survival as “a miracle,” as the community struggles to come to terms with the loss.
“The town is broken by grief and with hardly any words of comfort,” Cano said.
Authorities confirmed that the girl was cared for overnight by a police officer before being reunited with her grandmother in Córdoba.
Her story is one of many emerging from the aftermath of the crash, as grieving families and anxious relatives take to social media and local broadcasters in search of loved ones or to share accounts of loss and survival.
Among the injured is a woman who is five months pregnant and remains in intensive care. Her father, Alberto García, told Antena 3 television that his daughter sustained serious injuries and has been placed under sedation and connected to a ventilator.
Doctors are closely monitoring her unborn child, which he said still has a heartbeat.
According to relatives quoted by El País, firefighters pulled the woman unconscious from the mangled carriage after passengers smashed windows in a desperate bid to escape. Her sister, Ana, who was travelling with her along with their dog, sustained lighter injuries. The dog, named Boro, remains missing.
Ana told El Mundo that she believes her sister may have been injured while trying to protect the animal. “If I can’t do anything for her, at least I hope I can find Boro,” she said.
In response to the tragedy, Spain’s government has declared three days of national mourning. High-speed rail services between Madrid and several cities in Andalusia have been suspended as emergency crews clear the tracks and investigators and rail safety experts examine the crash site.
Acts of bravery have also emerged amid the devastation. Julio Rodríguez, a 16-year-old resident of Adamuz, near where the crash occurred, was among the first to assist with rescue efforts after passing the scene while returning from a fishing trip.
“I arrived here and my body became someone else’s. All I could think about was helping,” Rodríguez said. “I walked the 800 metres back and forth six or eight times. I didn’t stop to think about tiredness.”
He was later thanked by King Felipe VI during a visit to the site on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, uncertainty continues for many families. Authorities say 47 missing persons reports have been filed, but only 10 victims have so far been formally identified.
Relatives and colleagues are also appealing for information about Jesús Saldaña, a cardiologist who has not been located among the injured or the dead. His sister told Cadena SER radio that while his mobile phone has been recovered, there is still no information about his whereabouts.
As investigations continue, Spain remains united in grief, mourning the lives lost and clinging to stories of survival and heroism amid the tragedy.