Manuel Bandera had left Madrid bound for Seville to fulfill a work commitment. Soon after, the journey changed abruptly: the AVE train he was aboard was involved in the serious rail accident that occurred this Wednesday near Urda, in Toledo. “What I’ve seen is horrific,” he said, still shaken.
Manuel Bandera described how he experienced the train accident
The Malaga-born actor was traveling in car 1 of the AVE that had departed from Atocha station. According to his statements on radio, the train stopped about half an hour after departure and then resumed moving.
“When we started up again, and very shortly after, I noticed a braking, a jolt and then I was thinking: please don’t overturn, please don’t overturn,” he recalled in an interview with Cadena SER and Canal Sur Radio.
Bandera was heading to Seville to participate in the filming of Canal Sur programs. The journey was interrupted by the collision on the Madrid-Seville line, between a Renfe train and another from Iryo.
“I feel like I’ve been reborn”: the impact the actor suffered
The actor explained to the outlet Vanguardia that wagon number 1 was at that time traveling at the rear of the formation, a circumstance he considered decisive. “I feel like I’ve been born again,” he said, reflecting on what happened.
Bandera was in good overall condition and noted that he had suffered a small rib contusion. However, he admitted that he remained in shock: “I have never experienced anything like this in my life and I hope not to again.”
After confirming that the people in his carriage were okay, the passengers broke a window to be able to exit. The actor also said he assisted a young man who had trouble breathing and stayed with him until he could receive help.
A testimony shaped by the shock
Beyond the physical blow, Manuel Bandera articulated the emotional mark left by an experience of this magnitude. “This image is going to stay with me for life. I was able to help a youngster, but, well, it’s horrific,” he said.
The accident left fatalities and numerous injuries, while emergency teams deployed a broad operation in the area. Renfe activated its crisis cabinet and the assistance plan for victims and their families; the authorities of Castilla-La Mancha, for their part, launched the regional emergency device.
The causes of the collision remained under investigation. The actor himself was prudent on that point: “It is impossible for us to know what happened,” he clarified, without venturing an explanation about the origin of the accident.
Bandera left the train with a minor injury, but deeply moved by what he found around him. His testimony is not aimed at explaining the accident: it conveys the confusion, fear and shock of someone who found themselves, unexpectedly, inside a tragedy.
