At least 39 people have died in a Spain train crash in southern Spain, with dozens more injured, in the country’s worst rail disaster in more than a decade, according to Spain’s Civil Guard.
Carriages on a Madrid-bound train derailed and crossed onto the opposite tracks, colliding with an oncoming train in Adamuz on Sunday evening.
Dozens injured, including children
Around 400 passengers and staff were onboard both trains, rail operators said. Emergency services treated 122 people, with 48 – including five children – remaining in hospital. Of those, 11 adults and one child are in intensive care.
Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente said the death toll “is not yet final”, as officials launched an investigation into the Spain train crash. He described the incident as “extremely strange”, adding that railway experts consulted by the government were “extremely baffled”.
Collision near Córdoba
Rail network operator Adif said the collision occurred at 19:45 local time (18:45 GMT), about an hour after the train left Málaga bound for Madrid. The derailment happened on a straight stretch of track near Córdoba.
The force of the crash pushed the carriages of the second train into an embankment, Puente said. Most of those killed and injured were in the front carriages of the second train, which was travelling south from Madrid to Huelva.
High-speed train involved
The train involved was a Freccia 1000, capable of reaching speeds of up to 400km/h, a spokesperson for Italian rail company Ferrovie dello Stato told Reuters.
Rescue teams said twisted wreckage made it difficult to reach people trapped inside the carriages.
Córdoba fire chief Francisco Carmona told Spanish broadcaster RTVE that rescuers had to remove bodies to reach survivors, describing the work as “hard” and “tricky”.
Journalist Salvador Jimenez, who was onboard one of the trains, said the impact felt like an “earthquake”.
Rail services suspended
All rail services between Madrid and Andalusia were suspended following the crash and are expected to remain closed throughout Monday.
Private rail operator Iryo said around 300 passengers were on the train that first derailed, while the second train, operated by state-owned Renfe, had around 100 passengers onboard.
The official cause of the crash is not yet known. The investigation is not expected to determine what happened for at least a month.
National and international reaction
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the country would endure a “night of deep pain”.
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia said they were following developments “with great concern”, extending condolences to victims’ families.
The Spanish Red Cross deployed emergency support services to the scene and provided counselling to affected families. International leaders, including France’s President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, issued messages of condolence.
Spain’s last major high-speed rail disaster occurred in 2013 in Galicia, when 80 people were killed. Spain has the second-largest high-speed rail network in the world, after China, spanning more than 4,000 kilometres.
Source: BBC News
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