Additional Coverage:
Tragic Train Collision in Southern Spain Claims 40 Lives, Investigation Underway
CORDOBA, Spain – The death toll from Sunday’s devastating train derailment and collision in southern Spain has climbed to 40, as authorities continue to investigate the cause of the tragic incident. Dozens of injured individuals remain hospitalized, with 13 in intensive care.
The catastrophe unfolded Sunday night near the town of Adamuz in Cordoba province, approximately 230 miles southwest of Madrid. A high-speed Iryo train, carrying around 300 passengers from Malaga to Madrid, reportedly derailed at approximately 7:45 p.m. local time.
The derailed cars then veered onto an adjacent track, colliding with a state-run Renfe train traveling in the opposite direction from Madrid to Huelva. The impact forced the Renfe train off its tracks, sending its two front cars tumbling down a 13-foot embankment.
Rescue operations were immediately launched to free passengers trapped within the wreckage. The government of Andalusia confirmed Monday night that the death toll had risen to 40, an increase of one from earlier Monday reports. Officials have indicated that the count may not be final, as Juanma Moreno, the president of Andalusia, stated earlier that the number could still rise.
Of the 122 individuals who received medical treatment, 41 remain hospitalized, including one minor. A total of 81 people have been discharged.
Efforts to clear the scene are ongoing. Officials plan to use a crane to remove the remaining two cars of the Iryo train, after which a second crane will be deployed to remove the other train.
The cause of the initial derailment is under intense investigation. Transport Minister Oscar Puente, speaking on X, acknowledged the severity of the incident but stated, “We do not know, nor does anyone know at this moment, the causes.”
Authorities have ruled out speeding and human error on the straight stretch of track where the incident occurred, leading to questions about the track itself, which underwent maintenance in May. Puente, in an interview with RTVE, noted a “break in the track” but emphasized the difficulty in determining whether it was the cause or a consequence of the derailment.
“There is one certain fact: There is broken rail at many points,” he told the national broadcaster. “We have to see what actually happened.”
The Rail Accident Investigation Commission (CIAF) is leading the investigation.
Spanish President Pedro Sanchez has declared three days of national mourning, beginning at midnight Tuesday, in response to the tragedy. “It is true that Spanish society, like all of us, asks itself what happened, how it happened and how such a tragedy could occur,” Sanchez stated. He expressed confidence that “time and the work of the technicians will provide us with the answer,” vowing to communicate the findings to the public with “absolute transparency and absolute clarity.”