The death toll from a high-speed train collision in southern Spain has climbed to at least 39, police said, as emergency crews continued searching for additional victims.
The crash occurred on Sunday evening when a high-speed train travelling from Malaga to Madrid, carrying about 300 passengers, derailed near Cordoba at around 7:45pm and collided with another train heading from Madrid to the southern city of Huelva with approximately 200 passengers on board.
The number of fatalities had earlier been reported as 21. Dozens of passengers were also injured, with rescue operations continuing into Monday.
Spain’s Transport Minister Óscar Puente said the cause of the accident remained unclear, describing it as unusual given that the derailment occurred on a straight section of track that had been renovated in May.
Speaking at Madrid’s Atocha station, Puente said 30 injured passengers were taken to hospital in serious condition and confirmed that all the wounded had since been evacuated for medical treatment.
Public broadcaster Televisión Española reported that the driver of the Madrid Huelva train was among those killed.
Andalusia’s emergency services deployed five mobile intensive care units, four critical care teams and numerous ambulances to the crash site.
Rescue teams focused on stabilising the injured before transporting them to hospitals, according to Juanma Moreno, president of the Andalusian regional government, who expressed solidarity with those affected.
Staff from rail infrastructure operator ADIF were also working alongside emergency services at the scene.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the tragedy as a “night of deep pain” for Spain, offering condolences to the families of the victims. “No words can ease such suffering, but the entire country stands with you in this difficult moment,” he said in a post on social media.
Rail services between Andalusia and Madrid have been suspended, with trains from Cordoba, Seville, Malaga and Huelva expected to remain cancelled at least through Monday, rail authorities said.
Salvador Jiménez, a journalist with public broadcaster RTVE who was travelling on the Malaga-bound train, told local media that the last two carriages derailed, with the final carriage tipping completely onto its side.
He said the moments before the crash felt like an “earthquake.”
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