ADAMUZ, Spain – A devastating collision between two high-speed trains in southern Spain killed at least 39 people and injured more than 120 others on Sunday evening, marking the country’s deadliest rail disaster in over a decade.
The crash occurred when an Iryo train travelling from Malaga to Madrid derailed near the town of Adamuz and crossed onto an adjacent track, where it collided with an oncoming train bound for Huelva. Both trains derailed in the impact.
The death toll rose Monday morning from an initial count of 21, with officials reporting that 123 people were injured, including five in critical condition and 24 with serious injuries, according to the interior ministry.
Transport Minister Oscar Puente called the accident “extremely strange,” noting that the derailment occurred on a straight section of track that had been completely renovated. The first train to derail was described as “practically new.”
“Rail experts are very surprised by this accident because it is very strange and very difficult to explain at this stage,” Puente told reporters.
The disaster represents Spain’s worst train accident since 2013, when 80 people died after a train derailed on a curved section of track near Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain.
Challenging rescue operations
Emergency responders faced difficult conditions as they worked to extract passengers from the twisted wreckage. Francisco Carmona, head of firefighters in Cordoba, described the harrowing rescue efforts to public broadcaster RTVE.
“The problem is that the carriages are twisted, so the metal is twisted with the people inside,” Carmona said. “We have even had to remove a dead person to be able to reach someone alive. It is hard, tricky work.”
Some carriages tumbled down a four-meter embankment, further complicating rescue operations. Rail operator Iryo reported approximately 300 passengers were aboard their Madrid-bound service, while Renfe has not disclosed passenger numbers for the second train.
Survivors describe the horror
Passengers recounted terrifying moments as the collision unfolded. Lucas Meriako, traveling on the first train, told La Sexta television the scene “looks like a horror movie.”
“We felt a very strong hit from behind and the feeling that the whole train was about to collapse,” he said. “There were many injured due to the glass.”
Montse, a passenger on the Huelva-bound train who gave only her first name, described being “thrown around” in her carriage as luggage fell on other passengers and children cried in the darkness following the crash.
“The attendant behind me hit her head and was bleeding,” she told Spanish public television. “Luckily, I was in the last car. I feel like I was given a second chance at life.”
National response
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed the nation’s grief on social media, writing: “Today is a night of deep pain for our country owing to the tragic rail accident in Adamuz. No words can alleviate such great suffering, but I want them to know that the whole country is by their side in this tough moment.”
Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia offered condolences to victims’ families, while international leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen extended their sympathies.
High-speed rail services between Madrid and the Andalusian cities of Cordoba, Seville, Malaga and Huelva were suspended Monday as authorities investigate the cause of the crash.
Spain operates Europe’s largest high-speed rail network, with more than 3,000 km of dedicated tracks connecting major cities across the country.
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