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A train carriage was lying on its side, tilted to the tracks. Its windows were cracked and it had a split in its belly. Nearby, dozens of blood bags and bandages that rescuers used to treat the injured passengers were scattered.
The aftermath of the collision between two high-speed train on Sunday night. It killed 41 confirmed people and injured more than 150.
The place was very harrowing.
As reporters from around the world – journalists from Germany, America and even Greece – huddled on a slab of concrete opposite the wreck, a heavy silence hung poignantly in the air.
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It wasn’t the piles of broken metal or the lips of glass hanging from the railings that stole my words. My eyes were fixed on the pink colouring book of a young child, which was half-buried in gravel next to the tracks.
This blotch brought home to me the reality of the families returning from long weekends spent with their friends or in-laws in the capital Madrid or on the coasts.
I could have been in one of these trains. I am a Madrid-based reporter, but I also travel by train to Malaga and Granada for work. My wife’s family is based in Granada.
The tragedy occurred at exactly 19.45 Sunday evening, as I drove to Andalucia, along with our cat and our five-month old puppy.
Our pets were the main reason we decided not to take the train. Had I been travelling alone I could have easily ended up among the 43 missing (most likely dead), 39 hospitalised, and 13 fighting for life in intensive care.
I wonder how many passengers were on the train due to a similar last-minute decision.
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Looking into the coiled wreckage of the Malaga–Madrid high-speed service, I spotted a blood-stained white winter coat slumped over one of the seats.
A ripped blue bag with a baseball cap peeking out through the torn zip.
A yellow tennis shoe protrudes from the gravel next to the colouring book.
These glimpses of the lives of the people affected by this tragedy made me feel a lump in the throat. I turned away. It’s still there. Lingering.
The Guardia Civil had let us through to what they called ‘punto zero’ (or Ground Zero, like the famous twin towers of New York) of the crash just minutes before King Felipe and Queen Leticia were due to arrive this afternoon.
We watched the royals arrive with their entourage, and then drift to the other edge of concrete slab. Rows of police stopped them.
Reporters began broadcasting as cameras flashed.
It was all for nothing, because Felipe and Letizia kept their backs to the press the entire time – though for an excellent reason.
The men and woman who had been pulling passengers out of the wreckage for the past few days were finally able to meet them.
READ MORE The death toll in the Spain train accident has risen to 41 following the discovery of a body in a damaged carriage
Among the rescuers, all lined up to meet the King, were firefighters, paramedics, and emergency services personnel – but also local residents of Adamuz, who selflessly rushed to the site moments after hearing the deafening crash.
Rafael Prado, the parish priest in Adamuz told me he organized a team of volunteers who set up a First Aid station in Adamuz’s church rehearsal room in the early hours after the crash.
He said, “We collected food, drinks and medicines for the passengers as they began to arrive.” “We treated their wounds and helped them find their way,” he said.
“They brought most of them later to the hospital,” he said. I don’t even know how many people were there, but the paramedics filled up four buses.
Julio Rodriguez, a 17-year-old local, was hailed as hero after rescuing a 10-yearold boy.
“All I thought about was wanting to help,” he said. “I heard the screaming child, so I went into and did my bit.”
A local café owner later told me that Prado and Rodriguez were just two of dozens of residents who marched to the crash site after the impact.
He said, “That’s what we do.”
Yes, it’s true. Spaniards pride themselves on coming together when it matters most – and they have good reason to be proud. After the floods in Valencia, they came together in Adamuz.
After the King left and the Queen went, the police hurriedly ushered the group off, while the journalists were barely whispering among themselves, as I was still in a daze.
As I made my return to my vehicle, I couldn’t but think that the place I chose to live was a good one.
The Olive Press offers more Cordoba-related news.
