A 6-year-old girl survived Sunday night’s horrific train crash in southern Spain that left dozens dead, including the child’s family.
The nearly unscathed girl was found barefoot on the train tracks where at least 40 people were killed and 150 passengers were injured, according to Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia. She reportedly escaped through a broken window and was spotted by a civil guard officer among the wreckage.
The crash happened around 7:45 p.m. Sunday when a high-speed train carrying 289 passengers partially derailed near Adamuz and slammed into another train traveling in the opposite direction.
The head of the second train took the brunt of the impact, knocking its first two carriages off the track and sending them plummeting downing a steep slope. That was the train carrying the Zamorano Álvarez family, including the 6-year-old girl, her parents, her older brother and her cousin, according to Spanish media.
The family had been traveling back to their home in Aljaraque after a trip to Madrid to see a performance of “The Lion King,” Reuters reported.
The little girl’s four family members were all killed in the crash, while she managed to escape with only a minor head wound. A relative said she received three stitches in her head, but was otherwise in good health.
She’s now in the care of her grandparents, according to Punta Umbria Mayor José Carlos Hernández.
“There are many people who are very sad for the victims of this terrible accident, but there were also many who survived, like the miracle of the girl who is safe,” he told reporters Tuesday.
One local official said the impact of the collision was “so incredibly violent” that bodies were found hundreds of yards from the crash site.
The cause of the tragic collision remains under investigation. The train believed to have jumped its track was fairly new and passed a safety check last week.
With News Wire Services
