At least 39 people have died following a catastrophic collision between two high-speed trains in southern Spain. The disaster occurred near Cordoba at approximately 19:45 on Sunday, when the rear of a train travelling from Malaga to Madrid derailed and collided with an oncoming train en route from Madrid to Huelva. Rescue operations continued into Monday as authorities worked tirelessly to assist the injured and investigate the incident.
According to Spanish police, around 75 passengers were transported to hospitals, with 15 individuals reported in serious condition. Most of the injured received treatment in Cordoba, located about 390 kilometres south of Madrid. The Spanish Red Cross established a help centre in the nearby town of Adamuz, offering support to emergency services and relatives seeking information about their loved ones.
Emergency responders, including members of Spain’s civil guard and civil defence, operated at the scene throughout the night. Eyewitness accounts describe a chaotic scene as passengers attempted to escape the wreckage. Salvador Jiménez, a journalist for Spanish broadcaster RTVE who was on one of the derailed trains, recounted that many used emergency hammers to break windows and flee. He described the moment of impact: “there was a moment when it felt like an earthquake and the train had indeed derailed.”
The cause of the collision remains under investigation. Óscar Puente, Spain’s Transport Minister, characterized the incident as “truly strange” given that it occurred on a flat section of track that had undergone renovations in May. He confirmed that the train that derailed was less than four years old, operated by the private firm Iryo. The second train, which sustained significant damage, was managed by Spain’s public rail operator Renfe.
Puente detailed that the rear section of the first train derailed and struck the front of the second train, displacing its first two carriages off the track and down a four-metre (approximately 13-foot) slope. The most severe damage occurred at the front of the Renfe train. When asked about the timeline for the investigation, Puente indicated that it could take around a month to determine the full circumstances surrounding the crash.
In the wake of the derailment, train services between Madrid and various destinations across Andalusia were suspended on Monday, allowing authorities to assess the damage and continue their investigation. Spain boasts the largest high-speed rail network in Europe, with trains operating at speeds over 250 kilometres per hour (approximately 155 mph) and covering more than 3,100 kilometres (around 1,900 miles) of track. This network is widely used, affordable, and generally regarded as safe, having carried over 25 million passengers on its high-speed services in 2024.
Spain’s deadliest train crash this century occurred in 2013, resulting in 80 fatalities when a train derailed in the northwest of the country. Investigations later revealed that the train was travelling at 179 kilometres per hour (approximately 111 mph) on a section of track with a speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour (around 50 mph) at the time of the incident.
