Twelve killed crossing railway track

Last updated 14:43 24/06/2010

Twelve people have died after a high-speed train slammed into them as they tried to cross a railway track near Barcelona in Spain.

Seventeen people were injured in the accident on Wednesday evening as the group of mostly young people were on their way to celebrate the annual Saint John's Day summer festival.

Three of the injured were in critical condition, Spanish radio station SER said.

Dozens of people had been attempting to cross the track at an unauthorised point instead of using an underpass on the line between Barcelona and Alicante, TVE state television said.

One youth who managed to cross the track told SER radio that a group of them had got off a train, which then left the station.

"At that moment a train came from the other direction and ran everyone over," said the youth, who gave his name only as Fernando.

Emergency services found dismembered bodies scattered at the scene of the accident at Castelldefels Playa station.

The group of youths had been crossing the track to head for the beach for traditional celebrations around bonfires, local radio said.

Hundreds of mostly young people were marking the festival on the beach at the northeastern Spanish town.

St John's Day, June 24, is a public holiday in many parts of Spain and bonfire celebrations traditionally begin the night before.

The accident was Spain's worst rail tragedy since 19 people died in 2003, when two trains collided near the central Spanish town of Chinchilla.

From: http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/europe/3850088/Twelve-killed-crossing-railway-track