"She is her savior": the story of Ana's rescue in Adamuz

Cordova“I was at home when I heard about the train derailment,” Ana explains. It was already night, and this resident of Adamuz (Córdoba) was already in her pajamas, but she and her partner, Francisco, didn't hesitate: they got in the car and drove as close as possible to the tracks where the train tragedy had just occurred. “There were a lot of people screaming, a woman about to die, more people getting out of the carriages, covered in blood, some unconscious…” she recalls. Even now, she doesn't understand how she was able to stay and help the injured. “Normally, I faint at the sight of a drop of blood,” she admits.

Mauricio doesn't hesitate to say that Ana and Francisco are his mother's “saviors.” “She was just discharged,” he explains this Tuesday at the entrance to the Reina Sofía Hospital in Córdoba. He's still nervous, and his hands are trembling a little, the result of having spent two very difficult nights. But today he's smiling. His mother, also named Ana, traveled to Málaga on Friday to see family and celebrate some friends' birthdays. On Sunday, she was returning by train to Madrid, where she lives with her son and her husband, also named Mauricio. Her mother explained that she suddenly noticed they were traveling over stones instead of tracks, and that her carriage tilted until it overturned. She still remembers passengers closing their eyes, giving up. In contrast, she saw Ana's face; Ana had skipped a security check to get to the carriage. Mauricio's mother was trying to get off the train with a large gash on her head. She was bleeding heavily and had to tie a knot in her sweater to stop the bleeding. Ana helped her, along with two other passengers, and drove them to the Reina Sofía Hospital. "She seemed to be fainting; I kept asking her questions to keep her awake," the woman from Adamuz recalls. Once at the hospital, he stayed with her, by her side, in his pajamas, until Mauricio Sr. and Mauricio Jr. arrived, whom they had been able to call beforehand. While she was in the hospital, Ana says she still dreams about the tragedy, and her mind recalls the bodies of those who were with her on the train every time she closes her eyes.

"She's being discharged, she's being discharged," her son says into the cell phone, still smiling at the hospital entrance. On the other end of the line is Ana, his mother's hero. They both joke that they will meet again in Madrid, where the couple "will always have a home."

Sadness and hope

For the past two days, sadness and hope have been intertwined more intensely than ever at the Reina Sofía Hospital in Córdoba, the medical center where some seventy injured people like Ana have been taken, especially those with the most serious injuries. Hence, the most frequently asked question of those wandering outside the hospital is whether they are there because of the train accident. "No, my husband is here because of high blood pressure," replies María. "No, I just had to get some tests done," says Pedro. "Yes, I'm here because of the accident. A relative of mine has died. I understand your job, but I don't want to talk." This last response comes from a young man at the entrance to the emergency room. Just seconds before, he was on the phone, visibly emotional, saying that many people were calling and expressing his gratitude.

There are images of happiness, like that of Ana and the two Mauricios, or of the mothers leaving with their newborns. "We're making sure they don't get too much sun," they say. Or of grandmothers hoping their granddaughter's cesarean section went well. These are stories of lives beginning anew. At the same time, others are finishing up. Fidel has stopped to talk for a moment with the journalists. His is a harrowing testimony, as he lost his mother in the accident and his brother is in the intensive care unit (ICU). When they took him off the ventilator, he had to explain that his mother was gone.

The scene quickly contrasts with the moment of joy of some people at the hospital—who have nothing to do with the train accident—upon learning that the King and Queen of Spain would be visiting the medical center. The young man who was speaking on the phone, visibly moved after learning of the loss of a relative, was surrounded by people celebrating: "The King and Queen are selling out, the King and Queen are selling out," they repeated. About fifty people waited for the monarchs' arrival at the emergency room entrance, the same entrance through which dozens of injured people entered on Sunday night.

First hospital discharges

Rosa called an ambulance on Sunday because her husband was experiencing chest pain. Emergency services arrived within minutes. "If you had called us ten minutes later, we wouldn't have been able to come. There's been a very serious accident in Adamuz," the medical staff told her. Once at the hospital, from the emergency room, Rosa witnessed the horrific procession of stretchers carrying injured people from the train accident, some of them with amputated limbs.

A staff member at the center admits they had never experienced anything like this. "Despite the chaos, we were able to organize ourselves," he explains. Most of the injured were undocumented, and their families began arriving shortly afterward. "They were asked to show a photo of the injured person, which was then compared to their face before they could be allowed to see them," he illustrates. Many off-duty nurses and doctors came to the hospital to help, and on Tuesday, the center's administration sent a message of gratitude.

Waiting at the hospital

Now that many of the injured are in the ward, the situation is returning to normal. Amid the tragedy, the first good news is beginning to emerge, such as the discharge of a Swedish national. The Swedish media were waiting for him at the hospital entrance early this morning. He left in a wheelchair. Other patients have been discharged but are waiting at the hospital for their relatives to recover. This is the case for Ana. Her sister, Raquel, is five months pregnant. According to a family friend, Alberto, Raquel is still unconscious, and the baby, in principle, "is fine." This family is still searching for Boro, the dog that was with them and disappeared after the crash. He was sitting next to Raquel. They had all been spending a weekend in Málaga, where their grandmother lives.

The crash was preceded by absolute chaos. Sergeant Paco of the Civil Guard arrived at the scene and saw survivors emerging from a distance. Police sources explain that he hadn't imagined a carriage had ended up so many meters further down the line. He went and saw a six-year-old girl walking with a teenager. They didn't know each other. At that same moment, María got off the train. She was a victim, but she's also a Civil Guard officer. And by coincidence, she knew a relative of the six-year-old girl. So, she took her to a safe place and spoke with her family so they could pick her up. The child had been on the train with four members of her family, and they were coming from a Real Madrid match. They all died.

At this point, there are still 43 missing persons reports, and search and rescue operations are still pending at the scene, specifically in the area where the train derailed. While this relentless search continues, the people of Córdoba have also rallied around the victims of the accident. Sergio goes to the Civil Guard station first thing in the morning to donate blood. So does Antonio. The response they receive is that they've had enough.