At least 39 people have been killed and dozens more injured after two trains collided in southern Spain on Sunday evening, officials said, marking the country’s deadliest rail disaster in more than a decade.
The crash occurred near the town of Adamuz, close to the city of Córdoba, when a Madrid-bound train derailed and crossed onto the opposite track, colliding with an oncoming service traveling south.
Spain’s Civil Guard confirmed that around 400 passengers and crew were on board the two trains combined.
Emergency services treated 122 people at the scene and in nearby hospitals. As of Monday, 48 people remained hospitalized, including five children, with 11 adults and one child in intensive care.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente warned that the death toll is not yet final, describing the incident as “extremely strange.” He said railway experts consulted by the government were baffled by how the crash occurred.
A formal investigation has been launched, though officials said determining the cause could take at least a month.
Rail network operator Adif said the collision happened at 7:45 p.m. local time, about an hour after the Málaga–Madrid service departed. The train derailed on a straight stretch of track, an area where no immediate faults had been reported.
Puente explained that the force of the impact pushed the second train’s carriages into an embankment, with most of the fatalities and serious injuries occurring in its front cars. That train was traveling from Madrid to Huelva.
The trains involved included a Freccia 1000 high-speed model, capable of reaching speeds of up to 400 km/h, according to Italian rail company Ferrovie dello Stato.
Rescue operations continued through the night, hindered by severely twisted metal. Córdoba fire chief Francisco Carmona told RTVE that rescuers faced harrowing conditions, saying, “We have even had to remove a dead person to reach someone alive,” describing the work as “hard and tricky.”
Salvador Jimenez, a journalist with RTVE who was onboard one of the trains, said the impact felt like an “earthquake.” Video from the scene showed overturned carriages and rescue workers climbing over wreckage to pull survivors through doors and windows.
One passenger, José, told Canal Sur that “there were people screaming and calling for doctors” after the crash.
All rail services between Madrid and the Andalusia region were suspended, with closures expected to continue throughout Monday.
Private operator Iryo said about 300 passengers were on the train that derailed, while the second train, run by state-backed Renfe, carried around 100 people.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the country was facing a “night of deep pain,” while the mayor of Adamuz, Rafael Moreno, who arrived early at the scene, described the disaster as “a nightmare.”
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia expressed “great concern” and offered condolences to the families of those killed, also wishing a speedy recovery for the injured.
International leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, sent messages of sympathy.