Zaragoza, Spain — A 22-year-old Spanish basketball player, Nicolas Ramirez Perez, lost his life in a harrowing incident when he was struck by a high-speed train at a rural station near Zaragoza on Monday evening, officials said. The tragedy has shaken the local community and prompted calls for safety reassessments at the station.
Perez, a forward for CB Octavus de Utebo, met the accident shortly after exiting a local train at Casetas station, about 10 miles from Zaragoza. He was crossing the tracks when an Alvia train, traveling from Bilbao to Barcelona and carrying 101 passengers, hit him. The train was not scheduled to make a stop at the station where the incident occurred at approximately 8 p.m.
Despite prompt response from emergency medical personnel who attended to him at the scene and transported him in critical condition to Miguel Servet Hospital in Zaragoza, Perez succumbed to his injuries shortly after his arrival.
The local Guardia Civil has launched an investigation into the circumstances of the accident. Enrique Peiro, the club secretary, revealed that Perez was on his way to a team practice session when the tragic event unfolded.
Born in Pamplona on April 2, 2003, Perez grew up in Etxauri, Navarre. His family, originally from Alfaro in La Rioja, had relocated to Etxauri more than two decades ago. Recently, Perez had moved to Zaragoza to attend the University of Zaragoza, where he was studying architecture. Apart from his academic pursuits, he continued to advance his basketball career, having played for Club Deportivo Navarro Villoslada before joining CB Octavus de Utebo, where he spent five years and was a key player in the Primera Nacional A-2 league.
The basketball community has responded with profound grief and remembrance. CB Octavus de Utebo has paused all league matches and most training sessions scheduled for the following Tuesday. The club shared a message of condolence, expressing the deep loss felt by Perez’s teammates and supporters.
On social media, a club spokesperson expressed mourning and disbelief: “Life is sometimes so unfair that it is impossible to understand why things happen. We are shocked, saddened, and angry at fate. It wasn’t your time… We will miss you, N. You will always be part of this club.”
The Aragon Basketball Federation also extended heartfelt condolences to Perez’s family, friends, and teammates, noting his significant contributions to the sport over his five-year tenure with the club.
The incident has drawn attention to the safety of the station. Jose Luis Almenara, president of the Casetas neighborhood association, highlighted that although there is a designated crossing area with rubber mats to deter direct track crossings, its location requires passengers to walk a significant distance from where trains halt. The mayor has criticized the crossing’s poor lighting and called for improved safety measures at the station.
Following the incident, the passengers on the Alvia train were transferred to a freight train that took them to Delicias station in Zaragoza as investigators continue to piece together the details of the incident, with oversight from the local police unit of the Guardia Civil in Casetas.