High-speed train derails, smashes into another in Spain; 39 killed, over 100 injured

A high-speed train derailed and smashed into another oncoming train in southern Spain on Sunday, pushing the second train off the tracks in a collision.

Citing police sources, Reuters reported the death toll has risen to ‌39, with 152 people injured.

The first train was traveling to Madrid from Málaga, on the country’s southern coast, and was privately operated. The second train, operated by Spain’s national rail company, was bound for the southern city of Huelva, west of Seville.

The accident happened near Adamuz, in Cordoba province. The driver of one of the trains, which was travelling from Madrid to Huelva, was among ‌those who died, state broadcaster Television ​Espanola said.

"The Iryo 6189 Malaga - (to Madrid) train has derailed from the track at Adamuz, ⁠crashing onto the adjacent track. The (Madrid) to Huelva train ‌which was travelling on the adjacent track has also derailed," said Adif, which runs the rail network, in a social media post.

Adif said the accident happened at 6:40 p.m. (1740 GMT), about 10 minutes after the Iryo train left Cordoba heading towards Madrid.

Iryo is a private rail operator, majority-owned by Italian state-controlled railway group Ferrovie dello Stato. The train involved was a Freccia 1000 train which was travelling between Malaga and Madrid, a spokesperson for Ferrovie dello Stato said.

The company said in a statement that it deeply regretted what had happened and ​had activated all emergency protocols to work closely with the relevant authorities to manage the situation.

The second train was operated by Renfe, which also did not respond to a request for comment.

Adif has suspended all rail services between Madrid and Andalusia.

The cause of the initial derailment was not immediately clear. Puente said the first train was just a few years old and that the section of track where the accident happened had recently been replaced, reported NYT.

Horrific scene

The Iryo train had more than 300 passengers on board, while the Renfe train had around 100.

Paco Carmona, Cordoba fire chief, told TVE the first train heading to Madrid from ‌Malaga had been evacuated.

The ‌other train's carriages were badly damaged, he said, with twisted metal and seats. "There are still people trapped. We don't know how many people have died and 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."

Transport Minister Oscar Puente said he was following events from rail operator Adif's headquarters in Madrid.

"The latest information is very serious," he posted on X. "The impact was terrible, causing the first two carriages of the Renfe train to be thrown off the track. The number ⁠of victims cannot be confirmed at this time. The most important thing now is to help the victims."

Puente further added that it is not yet known what caused the incident.

The mayor of Adamuz, ⁠Rafael Moreno, told El Pais newspaper that he had been among the first to arrive at the scene of the accident ‌alongside the local police and saw what he believed to be a badly lacerated body several metres from the accident site.

"The scene is ‌horrific," he said. "I don't think they were on the same track, but it's not clear. Now the mayors and residents of the area are focused on helping the passengers."

Calls for medics

Images on local television showed a reception centre set up for passengers in the town of Adamuz, population 5,000, with locals coming and going with food and ‍blankets amid nighttime temperatures of around 42 degrees Fahrenheit (6 degrees Celsius).

A woman named Carmen posted on X that she had been on board the Iryo train to Madrid. "Ten minutes after departing (from Cordoba) the train started to shake a lot, and it derailed from coach 6 behind us. The lights went out."

Footage posted by another Iryo train passenger, also on X, showed an Iryo staffer in a fluorescent jacket instructing passengers to remain in their seats in the darkened carriages, and those with first aid training to keep watch over fellow passengers. He also urged people to maintain mobile phone batteries to be able to use their torches when they disembarked.

Salvador Jimenez, a journalist for RTVE who was on board the Iryo train, shared images showing the nose of the rear carriage of the train lying on its side, with evacuated passengers sitting on the side of the carriage facing upwards.

Jimenez told TVE ​by phone from beside the stricken trains that passengers had ‌used emergency hammers to smash the windows and climb out, and they had seen two people taken out of the overturned carriages on stretchers.

"There's a certain uncertainty about when we'll get to Madrid, where we'll spend the night, we've had no message from the train company yet," he said. "It's very cold but here we are."

With Reuters inputs