Spanish train collision outside Barcelona injures scores

At least 155 people have been injured after two trains collided on the outskirts of Barcelona, emergency services have said.

The crash, which occurred around 07:50 (06:50 GMT), took place at a station in Spain's north-eastern Catalonia region.

Local media reported that the trains had been travelling in the same direction and collided while one was parked at the station.

Catalan police are investigating how the incident occurred.

The crash happened at the Montcada i Reixac - Manresa station, about 12km (7 miles) from the city centre.

Emergency services official Joan Carles Gomez told reporters at the scene that 155 people had been injured in the collision, with 14 passengers transferred to a local medical centre for further treatment.

"We're talking about many bruises and some head injuries, but nothing serious," he said, adding that the passengers were being examined to "rule out any fractures".

Mr Gomez said the train was moving "very slowly (when the collision occurred) but people who were standing up fell over and hurt themselves".

A spokesman for the regional fire service said the moving train had collided with "the back part" of a stationary train at the station.

Train traffic was briefly disrupted on several lines due to the accident, the regional government said.

Describing the moment of the collision, one passenger told the Ser Catalunya outlet that she had experienced "a tremendous blow" and said that "people were screaming".

Another passenger told the BBC that she had seen "people with blood on them, because they had suffered a gash from the blow".

Spanish Transport Minister Raquel Sánchez said she was closely monitoring the situation and wished a "speedy recovery" to the injured.

There have been several accidents on Catalonia's regional train system in recent years, with regional officials blaming them on a lack of rail funding from the central government.

The president of the Catalan regional government, Pere Aragonès i Garcia, called for urgent "explanations" into the causes of the crash from the rail operator Renfe and the Spanish government.

And the speaker of the regional assembly, Laura Borràs, said it was "imperative" that the incident was not repeated.

She wrote on Twitter that "Catalans deserve safe" rail transportation.