The president of the family business, Ernestina Torelló, aged 83, was in her office when she heard the impact of the Rodalies train hitting an embankment just meters from the cellars, located between Gelida and Subirats. Initially, she dismissed the noise, confusing it with the sound of truck tires bursting on the nearby highway that runs parallel to the tracks.
Despite the initial confusion, the Torelló family was the first to respond, opening the doors of the farmhouse they have owned for 75 years. Her grandson, Paco Torelló, quickly arrived from Barcelona and found the property converted into an improvised field hospital to care for the 41 injured, according to data from the Medical Emergency System (SEM).
“"There were many frightened people."
Emergency personnel, who accessed the property almost immediately, organized the space systematically. They established three differentiated zones: the entrance for the most seriously injured, the first room for patients requiring urgent but less severe attention, and finally, an area for individuals needing psychological support.
Both Ernestina and Paco Torelló praised the quick and efficient response of the rescue teams. “We helped as much as we could, moving furniture and opening the house, but the work was done by others,” remarked Paco Torelló, assuring that “the execution was perfect.”
