Spanish police indicated this Monday morning that at least 39 people died in the collision between two high-speed trains that occurred on Sunday in southern Spain, while rescue operations continue in search of possible other victims.
The accident occurred when the rear of a train traveling between Málaga and Madrid, carrying approximately 300 passengers, derailed near Cordoba at around 19:45 p.m. It then collided with a train traveling from Madrid to Huelva, another city in the south of the country, according to the rail network manager Adif.
Rescue operations were still underway Monday morning. The president of the Andalusia region, Juanma Moreno, indicated that 75 passengers had been hospitalized, the majority of whom had been transferred to Cordoba, located approximately 390 kilometers south of Madrid.
La Spanish Red Cross has set up a support center in the municipality ofAdamuz, near the accident site, to provide support to emergency services and people seeking information. Members of the Civil Guard and Civil protection worked on the site throughout the night.
An accident described as "strange" by authorities
The Spanish Minister of Transport, Óscar Puentehe said early Monday that The cause of the accident remained unknown.He described the event as "truly strange"specifying that it had occurred on a section of road plate, renovated in last mayHe also indicated that the derailed train had less than four yearsThis train belonged to the private company. Iryowhile the second train, which suffered the most violent impact, was operated by the public company Renfe.
According to Óscar Puente, the rear section of the first train derailed and collided with the front of the second, causing the first two cars of the latter to derail and plunge down a four-meter embankment. The most significant damage was observed at the front of the Renfe train. When questioned by journalists about the duration of the investigation to determine the causes of the accident, the minister estimated it could take approximately one month.
Spain, European leader in high-speed rail
Spain has the largest high-speed rail network in Europe for trains traveling at speeds exceeding 250 km/h, with over 3,100 kilometers of track, according to the European Union. This network is a widely used, competitively priced, and reputedly safe mode of transport. Renfe reported that over 25 million passengers traveled on its high-speed trains in 2024.
Rail links between Madrid and the cities of Andalusia remain suspended this Monday.
The worst train accident in Spain in the 21st century occurred in 2013, when a train derailed in the northwest of the country, killing 80 people. The investigation concluded that the train was traveling at 179 km/h on a section of track with an 80 km/h speed limit at the time of the accident.
