NEED TO KNOW
-
Ana García, 26, was traveling with her dog Boro when the tail of their train car jumped the rails and was hit by a train coming from the other direction
-
When García was being helped out of the tilted car, she got a glimpse of Boro before he fled
-
“Please, if you can help, look for the animals,” Garcia told reporters. “We were coming back from a family weekend with the little dog, who’s family, too”
A woman who survived a high-speed train derailment and collision in southern Spain has enlisted the help of social media to locate her beloved pet.
Ana García, 26, was traveling with her dog Boro and her pregnant sister to Madrid from their hometown of Malaga on Sunday, Jan. 18, when the tail of their train car jumped the rails and was hit by a train coming from the other direction, according to the Associated Press.
While Garcia and her sister survived the crash, there were at least 43 fatalities, and more than 150 people were injured.
When García was being helped out of the tilted car, she got a glimpse of Boro before he fled the chaotic scene.
“Please, if you can help, look for the animals,” García told reporters. “We were coming back from a family weekend with the little dog, who’s family, too.”
As Spanish news outlets have covered the search for Boro, thousands of Spanish residents on social media have shared García’s plea for help, along with photos of the medium-sized black canine with white eyebrows and a tuft of white fur on his chest.
JORGE GUERRERO/AFP via Getty
Emergency services and investigators work on the site of a high-speed trains collision that killed at least 42 people, in Adamuz, southern Spain, on January 20, 2026.
PACMA, a Spanish political party focused on animal rights, also posted about the search for Boro.
“Boro has disappeared after the train accident in Adamuz,” read a translated X post on PACMA’s account posted Monday. “He is the dog of Ana, one of the victims, and we need to find him urgently. He will be in the vicinity of the train accident (Adamuz, Córdoba), very scared and disoriented.”
The post added, “IMPORTANT: If you see it, don’t chase it. It might run away in a panic. Try recording it or keeping it occupied with food, and report it immediately.”
An animal rescue patrol operated by a PACMA was allowed access to the accident site on Wednesday, Jan. 21, to search for Boro.
An environmental agent from the Civil Guard did spot Boro after the crash, but the dog escaped into the woods before being recovered, according to a statement shared with the AP.
While the train disaster claimed more than 40 lives, a 6-year-old child whose family perished emerged mostly unscathed.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
A relative of the unidentified girl told Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia that the girl was generally unharmed and had only a few scratches on her head.
The child was found by two Civil Guard officers in the vicinity of the derailment, according to La Vanguardia. She was taken into the custody of the Civil Guard until she was reunited with her grandparents.
Read the original article on People