Two high-speed trains collided near the town of Adamuz, close to Córdoba in southern Spain, late on Sunday, killing at least 40 people and injuring dozens more. The crash is one of the deadliest railway accidents in Spain in more than a decade.
Passengers described scenes of panic, with damaged carriages, screams for help and people escaping through windows and over the roofs of the trains.
1. HOW THE CRASH HAPPENED
According to an initial report cited by CNN, the rear coaches of a northbound train derailed and crossed onto the neighbouring track. It was then hit by a southbound train travelling in the opposite direction.
The northbound train was operated by private company Iryo, while the southbound train was run by state operator Renfe. The impact caused both trains to overturn, with the front carriages of one train falling down an embankment.
Spain’s transport minister, Óscar Puente, said the crash was “extremely unusual” because it happened on a straight stretch of track that had recently been upgraded. “It is truly strange,” he told Spanish television.
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2. WHEN AND WHERE
The collision took place late on Sunday near Adamuz, around 360 kilometres south of Madrid. Emergency services worked through the night to rescue survivors and recover victims from the wreckage.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the site on Monday and announced three days of national mourning.
“We will find the answer, and when it is known, with absolute transparency and clarity, we will inform the public,” Sánchez said.
3. DEATHS AND INJURIES
The head of the Andalusia regional government said at least 40 people were killed. Dozens of others were injured, many of them seriously, and were taken to hospitals in Córdoba and nearby areas.
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Families gathered at hospitals seeking information about missing relatives. One man told CNN he was searching for a friend, a military doctor recently returned from Iraq, who had not been heard from since the crash.
4. SURVIVORS’ ACCOUNTS
A passenger on the southbound train told CNN: “We were thrown through the air. Thank God I’m okay; there were many people worse off than me.”
Another survivor said the train tipped over before everything went dark. “All I heard was screams,” she said, according to Reuters.
Residents of Adamuz helped emergency teams, transporting injured people and providing blankets and food. “The whole town rallied to help,” one local resident told CNN.
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5. INVESTIGATION AND NEXT STEPS
Renfe’s president said both trains were travelling below the speed limit and that safety systems were in place to prevent overspeeding. Spain’s train drivers’ union has previously raised concerns about high speeds and track wear.
Engineers and investigators are now examining whether a fault with the train or the track caused the derailment. Spain’s Institute of Engineering said it was too early to draw conclusions.
The King and Queen of Spain offered condolences to the families of those killed, while messages of sympathy also came from European leaders.
