At least 39 people have been killed and 24 others seriously injured after two trains collided in southern Spain on Sunday night in what the prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, called “a night of deep pain for our country”.
A high-speed Iryo train travelling from Málaga to Madrid derailed near the municipality of Adamuz in Córdoba province, crossing on to the other track where it hit an oncoming train, Adif, Spain’s rail infrastructure authority, posted on X.
The second train, which was operated by the state rail company, Renfe, also derailed and went down an embankment, authorities said.
The accident happened about 10 minutes after the Iryo left Málaga at 6.40pm (1740 GMT), Adif said.
“Approximately 300 people were on board at the time of the accident,” Iryo said. “The derailment affected cars six through eight. The Guardia Civil and firefighters are currently working intensively at the scene to evacuate all passengers and have set up a joint emergency response team.
“Iryo deeply regrets the incident, has activated all its emergency protocols, and is collaborating closely with Adif, Renfe, and the relevant authorities to determine the causes and manage the situation as effectively as possible.”
Seventy-five people were taken to hospital, 24 of them with serious injuries, according to the authorities.
“There are many injured – I am still trembling,” Maria San José, 33, a passenger on the train that first derailed, told El País.
Another witness told the public broadcaster RTVE that one of the carriages of the first train had completely overturned.
An unidentified passenger on the second train – which was going from Madrid to Huelva – told public broadcaster TVE: “There were people screaming, their bags fell from the shelves. I was travelling to Huelva in the fourth carriage – the last, luckily.”
Television images showed medical crews and fire services at the scene.
The Córdoba fire chief, Paco Carmona, told TVE that while the Iryo had been evacuated within hours of the accident, the Renfe carriages were badly damaged, with twisted metal and seats.
“There are still people trapped. The operation is concentrating on getting people out of areas which are very narrow,” he said. “We have to remove the bodies to reach anyone who is still alive. It is proving to be a complicated task.”
Spain’s transport minister, Óscar Puente, said the cause of the accident had yet to be established. Speaking at a press conference at Atocha station in Madrid, he added it was “really strange” that a derailment should have happened on a straight stretch of track. This section of track was renewed in May, he said.
Puente said most of those killed and injured had been in the first two carriages of the second train.
Sánchez cleared his schedule for Monday to address the tragedy, while the king and queen were following the developments with concern, a spokesperson said.
“Tonight is a night of deep pain for our country due to the tragic railway accident in Adamuz,” the prime minister wrote on X. “I want to express my most sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims.
“No words can alleviate such immense suffering, but I want them to know that the entire country stands with them in this extremely difficult moment. All emergency services are working in a coordinated manner without rest.”
A journalist from the public broadcaster RNE, who was travelling on one of the trains, said the impact had felt like an earthquake. Passengers had used emergency hammers to break carriages windows and get out, he said.
A woman named Carmen posted on X that she had been onboard the Málaga to Madrid train. “Ten minutes after departing [from Córdoba], the train started to shake a lot, and it derailed from coach six behind us. The lights went out.”
Footage posted on X by another Iryo train passenger showed an Iryo official in a fluorescent jacket instructing passengers to remain in their seats in the darkened carriages, and asking those with first aid training to keep watch over fellow passengers.
The official told passengers they would be evacuated when it was safe to do so, but that at that moment the safest place was on the train. He also urged people to conserve their mobile phone batteries so they could use their torches when they disembarked.
The passenger wrote: “In our carriage we’re well but we don’t know about the other carriages. There’s smoke and they’re calling for a doctor.”
Spanish media reports suggested a total of 400 people had been on the two trains.
Local television images showed a reception centre set up for passengers in Adamuz, a town of 5,000 people, with locals bringing food and blankets as night-time temperatures hovered at about 6C (42F).
Adif has suspended all rail services between Madrid and Andalucía.
Reuters and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
