Martorell railway accident
In the Martorell railway accident on September 25, 1938, two trains collided head- on at Martorell . About 65 people died.
Starting position
At the end of September 1938, the Battle of the Ebro in the Spanish Civil War had turned in favor of the fascists and republican troops were in retreat. A freight train was on its way from Sant Vicenç de Calders to Barcelona , packed with soldiers from the Republican army in retreat and civilians fleeing from Francisco Franco's troops . A passenger train from Barcelona was traveling in the opposite direction .
the accident
The reason for the accident was a faulty signal system and a confusing curve behind the exit of the Martorell train station and the bridge over the Llobregat , in which the two trains collided head-on at around 8:30 p.m.
consequences
65 people died and over 200 were injured. The rescue work turned out to be difficult because the Martorell train station was without electricity and unlit due to the war, and no suitable vehicles were available to transport the injured .
Due to the militarily precarious situation, the censorship of the Republican government suppressed all news about the accident, so that only a few reports appeared abroad. Only a few obituaries in newspapers made indirect reference to the accident.
Web links
- NN: 65 Die in Wreck in Spain; Trains Crash Head-On 30 Miles South of Barcelona. In: The New York Times . September 27, 1938.
- NN: 1938, 09 - ??, Martorell Rail Collision, Spain, 65 dead.
- NN: L'accident de tren Censurat. In: El Barrinaire. December 27, 2013.
Remarks
- ↑ NN: L'accident de tren states that the train was on its way to Villefranche without specifying which place this name meant.
- ↑ Due to the censorship caused by the civil war, the figures tend to be orders of magnitude, exact figures are not available.
- ↑ "... Victims of the accident on the 25th in Martorell ..."