A six-year-old girl is the only member of a family who survived the Sunday rail disaster in southern Spain, which resulted in 42 deaths.
The girl was returning home after a trip to Madrid, where she had gone with her parents, brother, and cousin to see the musical „The Lion King” and the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, reports The Guardian.
Found walking on the tracks with a minor head injury
The girl, whose name has not been made public, was found walking on the tracks after the collision of the two trains in Andalusia. According to authorities, she suffered only a minor head injury and is out of danger.
The Spanish press writes that the family was returning to Aljaraque, on the Atlantic coast near Huelva. The trip to Madrid was a gift for Epiphany, the Christian celebration in which, traditionally, Spanish children receive gifts.
"A miracle," say local authorities
The Mayor of Punta Umbría, José Carlos Hernández Cansino, stated to Canal Ser that the news confirmed his "worst fears." "We were hoping we wouldn't have to declare days of mourning or lower the flag to half-mast. Then we received a call informing us that four members of the same family, reported missing, were found dead. The survival of the girl is a miracle," said the mayor.
The Mayor of Aljaraque, Adrián Cano, also spoke of a community "overwhelmed by grief and almost speechless for comfort."
After the accident, the girl was cared for overnight by a police officer before being taken over by her grandmother in Córdoba, authorities announced.
Three days of national mourning in Spain
Spain has begun three days of national mourning. The accident occurred after a high-speed train traveling from Málaga to Madrid derailed near Adamuz, crossed onto another line, and collided with a train heading from Madrid to Huelva. It is the worst railway accident in Spain in the last decade.