The victims were apparently trying to get to the beach less than 200 metres (660 ft) from the station, where a concert by Ecuadorian singer Rubén de Rey had been organized.

[5][6] At 23:23 local time (21:23 UTC), an express train ploughed into a large group of people crossing the track at Platja de Castelldefels station, killing 12 of them and injuring 14.

[12][13] A member of the Ecuadorean consulate in Barcelona, who had managed to cross the tracks with his family just before the accident, said that the signposting of the exits from the platform was "inadequate".

[15] The Spanish Minister for Transport, José Blanco, and his deputy Víctor Morlán, announced a commission of inquiry which will report to the Spanish and the regional governments,[7][11] while Renfe Operadora, who operated the train involved in the accident, and Adif, the state company in charge of railway infrastructure (including the Platja de Castelldefels station), announced internal inquiries.

[1][17][18] The Catalan Justice Minister Montserrat Tura graphically explained the difficulties facing the 19 pathologists and 21 other forensic scientists assigned to the case: "We don't have twelve bodies, but rather twenty sacks of remains.

[21] A memorial gathering with a minute's silence was organized on 26 June at the Arc de Triomf in Barcelona by associations of Ecuadorian and Colombian immigrants.