At least 39 people were killed and 159 others injured after two high-speed trains collided in southern Spain late Sunday, with rescue operations continuing through the night, Spanish police said on Monday.
The crash happened around 7:45 pm when the rear section of a train carrying about 300 passengers from Malaga to Madrid derailed and slammed into an oncoming train traveling from Madrid to Huelva, according to rail operator Adif. The collision occurred near the town of Adamuz in the province of Cordoba, about 370 kilometers south of Madrid.
Authorities said five of the injured were in critical condition, while 24 others were seriously hurt. Transport Minister Óscar Puente said the death toll was not final and warned that the number could rise.
Videos and photographs from the scene showed twisted train carriages lying on their sides under floodlights as emergency crews worked through the night. Passengers were seen climbing out of shattered windows, some using emergency hammers to escape.
Salvador Jiménez, a journalist with Spanish broadcaster RTVE who was on one of the derailed trains, said passengers felt a violent jolt moments before the derailment.
“There was a moment when it felt like an earthquake and the train had indeed derailed,” he told the network by phone.
In Adamuz, a local sports centre was converted into a temporary hospital, while the Spanish Red Cross set up an assistance centre for victims and their families. Members of the civil guard and civil defence remained at the site overnight.
Transport Minister Puente described the accident as “truly strange”, noting that it occurred on a flat stretch of track renovated in May and involved a train that was less than four years old. The derailed train belonged to private operator Iryo, while the second train was operated by state-run company Renfe.
He said the rear of the first train jumped the tracks and crashed into the front of the second, knocking its first two carriages off the line and down a four-metre slope. An investigation into the cause of the crash could take up to a month, he added.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed condolences to the victims’ families, calling it “a night of deep pain for our country.”
Train services between Madrid and cities in Andalusia were cancelled on Monday.
Spain has Europe’s largest high-speed rail network, with more than 3,100 kilometres of track. More than 25 million passengers travelled on Renfe’s high-speed trains in 2024.