Survivor of Spain’s train crash pleads for help finding her dog Boro, and social media users rally

A woman holds a sign reading in Spanish, "Missing Boro. Lost during the Adamuz accident. Any information is helpful," about a dog that went missing during a train crash in Adamuz, southern Spain, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

MADRID — Blanket draped over her shoulders and a bandage on her cheek, Ana Garcia issued a desperate plea: she needed help finding her dog, Boro.

Hours earlier, 26-year-old Garcia and her pregnant sister had been traveling with Boro by high-speed train from Malaga, their hometown in southern Spain, to capital Madrid. The tail of their train car jumped the rails for reasons that remain unclear, then was smashed into by a train coming in the opposite direction and that tumbled down an adjacent slope.

At least 43 people died in the crash and more than 150 were injured, including some right in front of Garcia. Rescue crews helped her and her sister out of the tilted train car.

Garcia saw Boro briefly, then he bolted.

After receiving medical treatment, a limping Garcia told reporters she was going back to find him.

“Please, if you can help, look for the animals,” she said, choked up and holding back tears. “We were coming back from a family weekend with the little dog, who’s family, too.”

In the aftermath of one of Spain’s worst railway disasters, Spaniards on social media rallied to find Boro and major Spanish media outlets have reported on the search for the missing mutt.

Thousands amplified Garcia’s call, sharing video of her interview. Photos of Boro, a medium-sized black dog with white eyebrows and a tuft of white fur on his chest, went viral alongside phone numbers for Garcia and her family. The Associated Press was not able to reach anyone through these numbers.

Television broadcaster TVE’s filming of the crash site Monday afternoon brought a jolt of hope: for a few short seconds, a dog resembling Boro could be seen running through a nearby field -- an area fenced off while investigators and rescuers continue their search for victims and evidence. But no one managed to locate the elusive pup.

The search intensified on Wednesday when an animal rescue patrol coordinated by an animal rights political party was authorized to enter the accident perimeter. An environmental agent from the Civil Guard spotted Boro -- alive and well -- and then tried to catch him, but the dog fled into the woods, according to a statement to the AP.

Social media was already anticipating a much-desired happy ending, with dozens of posts declaring: “Boro has been located!”

Teresa Medrano, The Associated Press