At least 39 people were killed and more than 70 others were injured after two high-speed trains collided in southern Spain’s Cordoba province on Sunday evening.
The crash involved an Iryo passenger train and an AVE service operated by Spain’s state-owned rail company Renfe. Authorities have suspended all rail traffic between Madrid and Andalusia as emergency teams continue rescue and assessment work.
According to officials quoted by Euro News, the accident took place near Adamuz when the Iryo train derailed and crossed onto an adjacent track before colliding with the oncoming AVE train.
The Iryo service was carrying around 400 passengers and staff and was travelling from Malaga to Madrid-Puerta de Atocha at the time of the incident.
What happened during the collision
Passengers described scenes of panic and chaos inside the trains following the impact.
Videos shared on social media showed several carriages badly damaged. Some were twisted. Others were crushed. Witnesses said the force of the collision felt like an earthquake.
Passengers were forced to break windows to escape. Several suffered injuries from cuts while trying to get out. Others reported smoke inside the carriages and sought immediate medical help, Euro News reported.
Salvador Jimenez, a journalist with Spanish public broadcaster RTVE who was on the Iryo train, said the last two coaches derailed, with one completely overturned.
“We left Malaga on time at 6:40 pm. There was a moment when it felt like an earthquake and the train had derailed,” he said.
He added that passengers were evacuated after breaking windows using emergency hammers.
Rail services suspended, investigation underway
Spain’s railway infrastructure operator ADIF said all train services between Madrid and Andalusia have been suspended until further notice.
In a statement, ADIF confirmed that emergency services were deployed immediately and will continue operations overnight in coordination with local authorities, Renfe and Iryo.
Emergency teams remain at the site, attending to the injured and assessing the full extent of the damage.
The Red Cross has mobilised one medical ambulance from Cordoba and three additional ambulances from Jaen. It is also providing basic supplies to passengers from both trains, Euro News reported.
Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente said he was tracking the situation from the ADIF Operations Control Centre and would provide updates as verified information becomes available.
Madrid regional president Isabel Diaz Ayuso said hospitals in the Community of Madrid are on standby.
“The hospitals of the Community of Madrid and the 112 emergency teams are on standby following the tragic accident in Cordoba and are at the disposal of the Andalusian Regional Government,” she said.
Support teams have also been deployed at Madrid’s Atocha station to assist families of those affected.
Authorities have launched a formal investigation to ascertain what caused the derailment.