At least 39 people were killed and more than 120 injured after two trains collided near Córdoba.
It marks Spain’s worst rail disaster in over a decade.
Spanish leaders, including Prime Minister Sánchez, expressed condolences.
Southern Spain Train Crash Kills at Least 39, Dozens Injured
The crash occurred when the rear of a Malaga–Madrid train derailed and slammed into an oncoming Madrid–Huelva service; the cause remains unknown and is under investigation.
Summary
At least 39 people have been killed and dozens more injured in a train collision in southern Spain, the country’s worst rail disaster in more than a decade, according to Spain’s Civil Guard.
Around 400 passengers and staff were on board the two trains involved, rail network officials said. Emergency services treated 122 people at the scene, while 48, including five children, remain in hospital. Of those, 11 adults and one child are in intensive care.
Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente said the death toll “is not yet final” as authorities launched an investigation into the cause of the crash.
The collision occurred at about 7:45pm near Córdoba, when the rear section of an evening train travelling from Malaga to Madrid with around 300 passengers derailed and struck an oncoming train carrying roughly 200 passengers from Madrid to the southern city of Huelva, according to rail operator Adif.
Puente described the incident as “a truly strange” one, noting that it took place on a flat stretch of track that had been renovated in May. He added that the train which derailed was less than four years old. That train was operated by private company Iryo, while the second train, which sustained the heaviest impact, belonged to Spain’s public rail operator Renfe.
According to Puente, the rear of the first train derailed and collided with the front of the Renfe train, knocking its first two carriages off the track and down a four-metre slope. He said the most severe damage was concentrated at the front of the Renfe train.
The Spanish Red Cross set up a help centre in the nearby town of Adamuz to assist emergency services and provide information to families. Puente said the cause of the crash remained unknown.
Iryo said in a statement that it “deeply lamented what has happened” and was cooperating fully with authorities to manage the situation.
“This is a night of deep sadness for our country,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote on X, expressing his condolences to the victims’ families and loved ones.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was following “the terrible news” from Córdoba, adding in Spanish: “Tonight you are in my thoughts.” French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni too released statements of condolence.
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The transport minister stated that the investigation to ascertain the cause of the accident could take at least a month.
(with inputs from AP and BBC)
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