Saudi FM calls Spanish counterpart to offer condolences over deadly train crash

In the town of Urda, Spain, residents swiftly came together to aid victims following a tragic high-speed train collision on Wednesday. Pharmacists from Urda, aged 78, Antonio Garcia, was among the first to respond after hearing about the accident from his daughter. He described witnessing one carriage being stuck inside another, with numerous injured bodies.

Garcia brought essential supplies, including first aid materials, painkillers, tranquillisers, and blankets, to help treat those affected. He recounted how injured passengers calmly requested assistance, with one asking for an ambulance and another expressing final farewells to family members before uttering, "God is good," a poignant statement for believers.

Other locals contributed bottles of water for evacuated passengers. The town quickly became a hub for emergency personnel, with police, firefighters, and emergency workers from the region converging on Urda. The local sports hall was transformed into a center for survivors, while the primary school was reserved for families of the victims, where a Madrid-based volunteer psychologist, Carmen, provided emotional support to distraught parents.

Some relatives journeyed from Madrid to Urda to seek out missing family members. Ana, a woman from the town, traveled after her environmental police contact found her missing dog, Trece, aboard a train with her husband Pepe. Ana's tears were visible as she frantically searched for her husband at the crash site, the sports hall, and the primary school, unaware that her husband's name did not appear on any lists.