Key events
Sam Jones
Sam Jones is Madrid correspondent for the Guardian
Spain’s transport minister, Óscar Puente, said the cause of the accident had yet to be established. Speaking at a press conference at Atocha station in Madrid, he added it was “really strange” that a derailment should have happened on a straight stretch of track. This section of track was renewed in May, he said.
Puente said most of those killed and injured had been in the first two carriages of the second train …
A journalist from the public broadcaster RNE, who was travelling on one of the trains, said the impact had felt like an earthquake. Passengers had used emergency hammers to break carriages windows and get out, he said.
A woman named Carmen posted on X that she had been onboard the Málaga to Madrid train. “Ten minutes after departing [from Córdoba], the train started to shake a lot, and it derailed from coach six behind us. The lights went out.”
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PM Sánchez to visit crash site
The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, will visit the crash site later today.
Earlier, he wrote on X:
Tonight is a night of deep pain for our country due to the tragic railway accident in Adamuz. I want to express my most sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims.
No words can alleviate such immense suffering, but I want them to know that the entire country stands with them in this extremely difficult moment. All emergency services are working in a coordinated manner without rest.
Transport minister warns toll may rise
The death toll from the high-speed train crash in southern Spain is not final, the transport minister Oscar Puente said Monday, indicating it could rise from the current figure of 39.
“The death toll has already reached 39 and is not definitive. I want to express my deepest gratitude for the tremendous work of the rescue teams throughout the night, under very difficult circumstances,” he wrote on X.
Death toll rises to 39 in Spanish train crash
Spanish police said Monday that at least 39 people died in the high-speed train collision Sunday in southern Spain and rescue efforts were continuing.
The collision occurred when the tail end of a high-speed Iryo train travelling between Málaga and Madrid with about 300 passengers went off the rails near the municipality of Adamuz in Córdoba province at 7:45pm local time (6.45pm GMT).
It slammed into a train coming from Madrid to Huelva operated by the state rail company, Renfe. This also derailed and went down an embankment, authorities said. It is not clear how many were on board.
Rescue efforts were still underway Monday morning. Andalusia regional President Juanma Moreno said 75 passengers had been taken to hospital.
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