Adamuz: At least 39 people were confirmed dead after a collision between two high-speed trains in southern Spain, police said on Monday, warning that the toll could rise further as recovery operations continue.
The crash occurred on Sunday at around 7:45 pm near Adamuz, a town in the province of Cordoba, about 370 km south of Madrid. According to rail operator Adif, the tail end of a train carrying around 300 passengers from Malaga to Madrid derailed and slammed into an oncoming train travelling from Madrid to Huelva.
Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente said the head of the second train, which was carrying nearly 200 passengers, bore the brunt of the impact. The collision knocked its first two carriages off the track, sending them plunging down a 4-metre (13-foot) slope. Puente said it appeared that the highest number of fatalities occurred in those carriages.
Andalusia regional president Juanma Moreno said emergency services were still searching through what he described as a mass of twisted metal where the carriages derailed. “It is likely that more victims will be found when the heavy machinery begins lifting the carriages,” he said, adding that the scale of destruction showed the violence of the impact.
Video footage and photographs from the scene showed mangled train cars lying on their sides under floodlights late on Sunday. Passengers described escaping through shattered windows, some using emergency hammers to break the glass. Salvador Jimenez, a journalist with Spanish broadcaster RTVE who was on board one of the trains, said there was “a moment when it felt like an earthquake” as the train derailed.
Police said at least 159 people were injured in the crash. Five were reported to be in critical condition, while 24 others were seriously injured.
A sports centre in Adamuz was converted into a makeshift hospital, and the Spanish Red Cross set up a help centre to assist emergency services and families seeking information. Members of Spain’s civil guard and civil defence worked at the site throughout the night.
Transport Minister Puente said the cause of the crash remains unknown. He described the incident as “truly strange”, noting that it occurred on a flat section of track that had been renovated in May. He also said the train that derailed was less than four years old. That train was operated by private company Iryo, while the second train involved belonged to Spain’s public rail operator Renfe.
According to Puente, the rear portion of the first train derailed before crashing into the front of the second train. Asked how long the investigation could take, he said it may take up to a month.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed condolences to the families of the victims, writing on X: “Tonight is a night of deep pain for our country.” His office said he would visit the accident site on Monday.
Spain has the largest high-speed rail network in Europe for trains travelling above 250 kmph, spanning more than 3,100 km, according to the European Union. The network is widely used and considered safe, with Renfe reporting that more than 25 million passengers travelled on its high-speed services in 2024.
Train services between Madrid and cities in Andalusia were cancelled on Monday.
Spain’s deadliest train accident this century occurred in 2013, when 80 people were killed after a train derailed in the northwest of the country. An investigation later found the train was travelling at 179 kmph on a stretch with an 80 kmph speed limit when it left the tracks.
With PTI inputs