At least 21 people have lost their lives in a devastating train collision in southern Spain, with dozens more injured, as authorities warned the death toll could rise.
The crash marks Spain’s deadliest rail accident in over a decade.
The accident occurred near Adamuz, close to Córdoba, when a Madrid-bound train derailed and veered onto the opposite track, colliding head-on with an oncoming train.
Both trains carried a combined total of around 400 passengers and staff, according to the rail networks. Andalusia’s emergency services reported at least 24 serious injuries, including four children.
Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente described the incident as “extremely strange” as investigators launched an inquiry. “All the railway experts consulted by the government are extremely baffled by the accident,” he told reporters in Madrid.
The rail network operator Adif said the collision happened roughly ten minutes after the train departed Málaga at 18:40 local time (17:40 GMT) en route to Madrid, derailing on a straight section of track.
The impact forced carriages of the second train into an embankment. “Most of those killed and injured were in the front carriages of the second train, which was travelling from Madrid to Huelva,” Puente added.
The train involved was a Freccia 1000, capable of reaching speeds up to 400 km/h (250 mph), a spokesperson for the Italian rail company Ferrovie dello Stato told Reuters.
Rescue teams faced challenges reaching people trapped in the wreckage. “We have even had to remove a dead person to be able to reach someone alive. It is hard, tricky work,” said Córdoba fire chief Francisco Carmona to Spanish public broadcaster RTVE.
Salvador Jimenez, a journalist with RTVE who was on one of the trains, described the impact as an “earthquake.” “I was in the first carriage. There was a moment when it felt like an earthquake and the train had indeed derailed,” he said.
Footage from the scene shows some carriages tipped on their sides, with rescue workers climbing the trains to pull passengers from lopsided doors and windows. A Madrid-bound passenger, José, told Canal Sur: “There were people and screaming, calling for doctors.”
Passengers were treated at advanced medical posts near the crash site and transported to hospitals. All rail services between Madrid and Andalusia were suspended and are expected to remain closed throughout Monday.
Iryo, the private operator of the derailed train, reported around 300 passengers on board, while the Renfe-operated train from Madrid carried about 100 passengers.
The official cause of the crash remains unknown, and authorities expect the investigation to take at least a month, according to the transport minister.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the nation’s situation as a “night of deep pain.” The mayor of Adamuz, Rafael Moreno, who was among the first at the scene, called the accident “a nightmare.”
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia said they were following the disaster “with great concern.” “We extend our most heartfelt condolences to the relatives and loved ones of the dead, as well as our love and wishes for a swift recovery to the injured,” the royal palace stated on X.
Andalusia’s emergency agency urged survivors to contact their families or post online that they are safe. Relatives have been seeking updates for passengers aboard both trains. Advanced medical posts were set up at Atocha, Seville, Córdoba, Málaga, and Huelva stations for victims’ families, Adif said.
The Spanish Red Cross deployed emergency support teams to the scene and offered counselling to families. Miguel Ángel Rodríguez from the Red Cross told RNE radio, “The families are going through a situation of great anxiety due to the lack of information. These are very distressing moments.”
International leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, expressed condolences. Macron wrote on social media,“My thoughts are with the victims, their families and the entire Spanish people. France stands by your side.”
Spain’s previous worst high-speed train disaster occurred in 2013 in Galicia, claiming 80 lives and injuring 140 others.
Spain’s high-speed rail network, the world’s second largest after China, connects over 50 cities across the country and spans more than 4,000 km (2,485 miles), according to Adif data.
