A high-speed train traveling from Malaga to Madrid derailed, crashing into an oncoming train in southern Andalusia. At least 39 people have died with dozens rushed to hospital with injuries. DW has the latest.
What you need to know
- A high-speed train derailed on Sunday around 7:30 p.m. local time (1830 UTC), jumping the track and hitting an oncoming train
- A train carrying around 300 people from Malaga to Madrid crashed into a train carrying around 200 people from Madrid to Huelva
- At least 39 people have died as a result of the collision in Cordoba province
- Rescue operations are still underway, with Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez calling it ‘a night of pain’ for the nation
- Train services between Madrid and cities in Andalusia are suspended on Monday
- Spain has Europe’s largest high-speed rail network, with more than 3,100 kilometers (1,900 miles) of track for trains travelling over 250km/h (155 mph)
WATCH — Footage from deadly crash site
Two high-speed trains collided following a derailment in Cordoba, a city in southern Spain. Rescue efforts continue as investigators probe the cause.
Deadly train collision in Spain: What you need to know
Guardia Civil continues response after Adamuz train crash
Spain’s Guardia Civil has continued operations following the train crash in Adamuz, deploying more than 220 officers, the force said on X.
It said personnel from citizen security units, the traffic division, rapid response groups, and the air service are working at the scene in Adamuz, in the province of Cordoba.
The Guardia Civil said its Central Criminalistics team is carrying out victim identification.
Sanchez cancels Davos trip
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has canceled his planned trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos following the high-speed train collision.
His office said the decision was taken after Sunday’s crash, the deadliest rail accident in the country in more than a decade.
Operator says train last inspected on Thursday
The rail operator Iryo has said the last inspection of the train that derailed and then collided with another service in southern Spain was carried out on Thursday.
In a statement sent to the AFP news agency, the company said the train, built in 2022, left Malaga for Madrid with 289 passengers, four crew members, and one driver on board.
The operator said that at 7:45 pm local time (1845 GMT/UTC), and for reasons that remain unknown, the train entered the adjacent track near the town of Adamuz, where it collided with a train traveling in the opposite direction.
Sanchez to visit site of deadly Spain train crash
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is to visit the site of the collision later on Monday, his office has said.
The purpose of the visit is “to get first-hand information on” Sunday’s crash, which officials described as Spain’s deadliest rail accident since 2013.
Spain says cause of train crash still unknown
The Spanish Red Cross has set up a help center in the town of Adamuz, near the crash site.
It is offering assistance to emergency services and people seeking information.
Members of Spain’s civil guard and civil defense have been working at the site throughout the night
Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente has said the cause of the crash remains unknown.
He described it as “a truly strange” incident, noting it occurred on a flat section of track that was renovated in May.
Puente said the train that derailed was less than four years old and operated by the private company Iryo. The second train, which absorbed most of the impact, belonged to Spain’s state-owned rail company Renfe.
A total of 39 people have died in the train accident that occurred yesterday, Sunday, in the town of Adamuz, in southern Spain’s Cordoba province.
A total of 73 people remain hospitalized, 24 of them in serious condition, including four minors.
At least 75 train passengers hospitalized
At least 75 passengers were hospitalized after a high-sped train derailed and collided with an oncoming train, Andalusia’s regional President Juanma Moreno told reporters.
Among them were 15 people with serious injuries.
Most of the injured passengers were taken to hospital in Cordoba, close to the town of Adamuz where the crash happened.
Moreno said rescuers would work through the night to remove bodies from the wreckage. Andalusia’s regional health minister earlier warned of “a very difficult night ahead.”
Train services from Madrid to Andalusia canceled
Spain’s state-owned railway infrastructure operator Adif announced that high-speed services between Madrid and the Andalusian cities of Cordoba, Seville, Malaga, Granada and Huelva would be suspended for all of Monday at least.
The rail network added that assistance zones had been set up at stations in Madrid, Seville, Cordoba, Malaga and Huelva for the relatives of the victims.
PM Sanchez, King Felipe VI offer condolences to victims
Spain was witnessing a “night of deep pain” after the deadly collision of two high-speed trains in the southern Andalusia region, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said.
“I want to express my sincerest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims,” Sanchez said in a statement on X.
“No word can alleviate such great suffering, but I want them to know that the whole country is by their side in this tough moment.”
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia also said that they were following the news of the accident “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 wrote on X.
Passengers evacuated, waiting for buses to Madrid
Journalist Salvador Jimenez, who was on one of the trains involved in the accident, is posting that uninjured passengers have been evacuated from the accident site to a sports center in Adamuz.
They are now waiting for buses to take them to Madrid.
In an earlier post, he said they had been given emergency blankets as the night was “freezing.”
Jimenez earlier told Spain’s national broadcaster RTVE in an interview that passengers had used emergency hammers to smash the windows and climb out.
Spain’s transport mnister calls derailment on straight stretch of track ‘strange’
The cause for the high-speed train crash is not yet known, Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente told reporters at a press conference at in Madrid.
He added that it was “really strange” that derailment should have happened on a straight stretch of track.
This section of track was renewed in May, he added.
He also gave an update on the injured.
“Thirty injured have been taken to hospitals and were in serious condition,” he told reporters, adding that all the injured have now been evacuated to receive care.
Rescuers prepare for ‘difficult night ahead’
Antonio Sanz, Andalusia’s regional health minister, said rescue operations are ongoing.
He said at least one passenger carriage had rolled down a four-meter (13-foot) slope.
The situation at the crash site “is very serious,” Sanz said.
“We have a very difficult night ahead.”
The firefighter chief of Cordoba, Francisco Carmona, told Spain’s national radio RNE that one of the trains was badly mangled, with at least four wagons off the rails.
Regional Civil Protection chief Maria Belen Moya Rojas told local broadcaster Canal Sur that the accident happened in an area that is hard to reach.
Local people were taking blankets and water to the scene to help the victims, Rojas said.
A military rescue unit is on its way to the accident site, Spain’s El Pais reported, after Andalusia’s regional government asked the military for help.
What we know so far
A high-speed train travelling from Malaga to Madrid derailed near Adamuz, in the Andalusia region nearly 40 kilometers (24 miles) northeast of Cordoba, on Sunday evening at around 7:30 p.m. local time (1830 UTC/GMT).
It jumped onto another track, where it hit an oncoming train. This train also derailed, Spain’s ADIF rail body posted on X.
The two trains were carrying nearly 500 passengers, local media, including El Pais, reported.
Spanish media said at least 21 people were killed in the crash, with at least 30 more seriously injured.
Regional Health Minister Antonio Sanz said officials told him they fear the death toll may rise.
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