The accident occurred at 11:10 AM when the Corail 7556 train, covering the Lleida-Barcelona route, struck the microbus transporting children from the Els Àngels nursery school in Lleida to a farm school. The convoy was traveling at a speed between 120 and 130 km/h, and the lateral impact dragged the school vehicle more than 300 meters down the track.
“"I was petrified in the cabin, sounding the acoustic signals without being able to avoid the crash."
The catastrophe resulted in a tragic toll of fifteen lost lives: the driver, four adults (the director and three monitors), and ten children aged between three and five years old. Surviving children were rushed to the Arnau de Vilanova Hospital, and the most critical cases were airlifted to Barcelona.
The magnitude of the tragedy led to official mourning in Lleida and Juneda. The funeral, held the following day at the Catedral de Lleida, gathered over 10,000 people and was attended by Queen Sofia and the President of the Generalitat, Jordi Pujol. Even Pope John Paul II sent a telegram of condolence.
The investigation pointed out that the microbus driver had failed to stop at the Stop sign, but the debate quickly shifted to railway safety. Controversy over the microbus lacking specific authorization for school transport and the existence of unprotected level crossings forced the acceleration of the suppression of hundreds of these points across the State.
