Adamuz, Spain — At least 39 people have been killed and dozens more injured after two high-speed trains collided in southern Spain, in what officials are calling the country’s worst rail disaster in more than a decade.
The crash occurred near the town of Adamuz, close to Córdoba, when a Madrid-bound train derailed on a straight stretch of track and crossed into the path of an oncoming train. The impact left carriages mangled and forced the second train into an embankment, according to Spain’s Civil Guard.
Authorities said around 400 passengers and staff were onboard both trains. Andalusian emergency services confirmed that 73 people were taken to hospital, including 24 in serious condition. Among the injured were four children.
Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente described the incident as “extremely strange” and said experts were “baffled” by how the derailment occurred. “All the railway experts consulted by the government are extremely baffled by the accident,” Puente told reporters in Madrid, adding that most of the victims were in the front carriages of the second train, which was traveling from Madrid to Huelva.
Rail operator Adif reported the collision happened at 19:45 local time (18:45 GMT), about an hour after the Málaga-to-Madrid train departed. The train involved was a Freccia 1000, capable of reaching speeds of up to 400 km/h (250 mph), according to Italian rail company Ferrovie dello Stato.
Rescue teams worked through the night to free passengers trapped in the wreckage. Córdoba fire chief Francisco Carmona told Spanish broadcaster RTVE: “We have even had to remove a dead person to be able to reach someone alive. It is hard.”
The cause of the derailment remains under investigation, with officials warning that the death toll could rise as recovery efforts continue.
