ADAMUZ, Spain — Jan 19 (GeokHub) At least 39 people were killed and more than 120 injured after two high-speed trains derailed and collided in southern Spain late on Sunday, marking one of the deadliest railway accidents in Europe in nearly eight decades, Spanish authorities said.
The crash occurred near the town of Adamuz, in the province of Cordoba, around 360 kilometres south of Madrid. Emergency services said 48 injured passengers remain hospitalised, including 12 in intensive care.
Passengers Describe Chaos After Derailment
Survivors described scenes of confusion and panic inside the carriages following the derailment.
“The train tipped to one side, then everything went dark. All I could hear were screams,” said Ana, a passenger travelling to Madrid, who was treated at a Red Cross centre. She said fellow passengers pulled her through a shattered window while firefighters later rescued her sister from the wreckage.
“There were people you knew you couldn’t help,” she said. “They were right in front of you.”
Rescue Efforts Hampered by Remote Location
Rescue operations were slowed by the crash site’s isolated location, which was accessible only by a narrow single-track road, complicating ambulance movements, Iñigo Vila, Spain’s national emergency director for the Red Cross, told Reuters.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez cancelled his planned trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos and travelled to the scene alongside Transport Minister Óscar Puente, who said the death toll “may still rise.”
Authorities said around 400 passengers were travelling on the two trains operated by Iryo and state-owned Renfe Alvia.
What Authorities Know So Far
The Iryo train, travelling from Malaga to Madrid at about 110 km/h, derailed before the second train, heading towards Huelva at approximately 200 km/h, struck either the final carriages or debris on the track.
Renfe president Álvaro Fernández Heredia said it was too early to determine the cause, though human error had largely been ruled out. He said the Iryo train lost a wheel — which has not yet been recovered — and that the collision occurred roughly 20 seconds after the derailment, leaving no time to activate emergency braking.
The Civil Guard has opened a DNA identification centre in Cordoba for victims’ families.
Safety Questions and Infrastructure Scrutiny
The track involved was fully renovated in May 2025 at a cost of 700 million euros, according to the transport ministry. Iryo said the train had undergone inspection just four days before the crash.
However, Reuters records show that the section near Adamuz has experienced repeated delays in recent years linked to signalling and power-line issues. Spain’s high-speed rail network — the largest in Europe and second-largest globally — has also faced challenges from copper cable theft and power disruptions.
