Spain: Wildfire Breaks Out in Gavà, Catalonia, Forcing Lockdown for Thousands of Residents

A wildfire broke out in Gavà, Catalonia, on Wednesday, July 8, prompting a lockdown affecting 6,000 people. Firefighters stabilized the fire by the evening, and the lockdown was lifted.

4 killed in railway accident in Spain

STORY: 4 killed in railway accident in Spain DATELINE: Sept. 12, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:09 LOCATION: Madrid CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the accident and rescue efforts STORYLINE: Four people died and three others were injured after being hit by a train in northeastern Spain on Sunday evening, Spanish authorities have reported. Emergency services in the Catalan region said that the accident happened close to the town of Montmelo, around 30 kilometers north of Barcelona. The group had been attending a music festival in a nearby town, and were trying to cross the tracks without seeing a local commuter train approaching. "A group of people crossed the tracks at an unauthorized point, in a curve of difficult visibility," explained a statement issued on Monday by RENFE, Spain's railway operator, and ADIF, which is responsible for infrastructure. Meanwhile, Catalan emergency services said nine ambulances and a helicopter had been sent to the scene of the accident, adding: "Firefighters searched for o

Pit accident kills 3 miners in Spain

STORY: Pit accident kills 3 miners in Spain DATELINE: March 10, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:13 LOCATION: BARCELONA, Spain CATEGORY: OTHERS SHOTLIST: (courtesy of Fire Department of the Catalonia region) various of firefighters, ambulances, police, workers and relatives of the victims of the accident at the potash mine company in Suria, near Barcelona on Thursdayvarious of the potash mine company STORYLINE: Three people were killed in a potash mine accident close to Barcelona, northeast Spain, on Thursday morning. Confirming the deaths, the Catalan fire brigade informed that they received the report of the accident at 08:53 local time (0753 GMT) and arrived at the mine with nine rescue vehicles and a medical helicopter. The accident happened around 900 meters underground at the Suria potash mine. The causes are so far unknown. The three victims working for the company ICL Iberia were apparently in a gallery when the roof fell and buried them. Work is underway to recover the bodies, according to the authori

Ecology expert warns against recurring wildfires in Spain

STORY: Ecology expert warns against recurring wildfires in Spain DATELINE: July 23, 2022 LENGTH: 00:02:32 LOCATION: Madrid CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT SHOTLIST: various of fire-stricken areasvarious of firefighters working STORYLINE: As firefighters in Spain this week brought under control wildfires in Catalonia, numerous blazes continued to rage around the country, in regions like Galicia, Castilla y Leon and Aragon. A new record was broken this week as over 193,000 hectares of land have been devastated by fire this year, surpassing the record of 189,367 hectares registered in 2012. On Wednesday, the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), which uses satellites to track wildfires, confirmed that in just over six months, 193,247 hectares have so far been affected in Spain. It is a situation that the experts predict is unlikely to change any time soon. SOUNDBITE 1 (Catalan): NARCIS PRAT, Emeritus Professor of Ecology at University of Barcelona "Everything suggests that we're moving towards a situatio