At least 39 people died in southern Spain after a high-speed train derailed and collided with an oncoming one on Sunday night, marking the worst railway accident in the country since 2013.
The accident happened at 7.45 p.m. (1845 GMT) near Adamuz in the province of Cordoba, about 360 km (223 miles) south of the capital Madrid. It left 122 people injured, with 48 still in hospital and 12 in intensive care, according to emergency services.
Transport Minister Oscar Puente said on X on Monday that he was on his way to Cordoba.
“The death toll has risen to 39 and is not yet definitive. I want to express my enormous gratitude for the work of the rescue teams overnight, in very difficult circumstances, and my condolences to the victims and their families at this terrible time.”
There were around 400 passengers on the two trains, operated by Iryo and Alvia, according to a statement from state-owned rail operator Renfe. Most of them were Spaniards travelling to and from Madrid after the weekend. It was unclear how many tourists were on board during a low-season period in Spain.
The Iryo train was en route from Malaga to Madrid. The second train was heading towards Huelva and was travelling at about 200 km per hour at the moment of impact, newspaper El Pais reported.
The death toll is the highest from a train crash since 2013, when a train derailed in the northwestern city of Santiago de Compostela and burst into flames, killing 80 people and injuring 145.
