Two high-speed trains derail in Spain, 21 killed

A high-speed train derailed and struck an oncoming service in southern Spain on Sunday (January 18), sending the second train off the tracks and down an embankment, police sources told Reuters. At least 21 people were killed.

The cause of the crash was not yet known, Transport Minister Oscar Puente said at a press conference at Atocha station in Madrid, adding it was “really strange” for a derailment to occur on a straight stretch of line. He said the section of track had been renewed in May.

The accident happened near Adamuz in Córdoba province, about 360km south of Madrid. Andalusia’s regional health chief said 18 injured people had been transferred to the hospital, some in a critical condition.

State broadcaster TVE reported that the driver of one of the trains travelling from Madrid to Huelva was among those killed, and that around 100 people were injured, including 25 seriously.

Adif, which manages Spain’s rail network, said in a social media post that the Iryo 6189 Malaga–Madrid train derailed at Adamuz and ended up on an adjacent track, causing the Madrid–Huelva service to derail as well.

Adif said the incident took place at 6.40pm (1740 GMT), around 10 minutes after the Iryo train left Córdoba heading towards Madrid.

Iryo is a private operator majority-owned by Italy’s state-controlled Ferrovie dello Stato. A Ferrovie spokesperson said the train involved was a Freccia 1000 service running between Malaga and Madrid.

The company said it deeply regretted what had happened and had activated emergency protocols to work closely with the authorities.

The second train, an Alvia service, was operated by Renfe. El País reported it was travelling at around 200km/h at the moment of impact.

Renfe said its derailment was triggered when the Iryo train derailed into its path, adding that emergency teams were still assisting passengers.

Renfe said its president was travelling to the crash site and the company was working to support passengers and their families. Adif suspended all rail services between Madrid and Andalusia.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez cleared his diary for Monday to address the tragedy, while a palace spokesperson said Spain’s King and Queen were following developments with concern.

The Military Emergency Service said troops had been deployed from a nearby base to support rescue and recovery operations.

The Iryo train had more than 300 passengers on board, while the Renfe train carried around 100, according to officials.

Antonio Sanz, Andalusia’s regional health chief, said six people were critically injured, five were seriously injured, and seven had other injuries across hospitals in the region.

He said access to the crash site was difficult and warned the casualty toll could rise as the night progressed.

Puente said he was monitoring events from Adif’s headquarters in Madrid. “The latest information is very serious,” he wrote on X, adding that the impact had been severe and that the priority was helping victims.

Local television showed a reception centre set up for passengers in Adamuz, a town of about 5,000, with residents bringing food and blankets as temperatures dropped overnight.

One passenger, Maria San José, 33, who was travelling from Malaga to Madrid, told El País she was still shaking and that many people had been injured.

Another passenger on the Alvia service told TVE there were screams inside the train as luggage fell from overhead racks.

RTVE journalist Salvador Jimenez, who was on board the Iryo train, shared images from the scene and told TVE that passengers used emergency hammers to break windows and climb out, while rescue teams attended to the injured nearby.

Reuters