At least 21 people were killed and 75 others hospitalised after two trains collided in southern Spain on Sunday evening, in what the prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, described as “a night of deep pain” for the country.
A high-speed Iryo train travelling from Málaga to Madrid derailed near the town of Adamuz and crossed on to the opposite track, where it struck an oncoming Renfe service, Spain’s rail infrastructure body Adif said. The second train was also derailed and plunged down an embankment.
The crash occurred about 10 minutes after the Iryo train left Málaga at 6.40pm local time, according to Adif. Spain’s transport minister, Óscar Puente, said in the early hours of Monday that the death toll stood at 21 and could rise.
Of the 75 people taken to hospital, 15 were in a serious condition, said Juanma Moreno, the president of the Andalusian regional government.
“There are many injured, I am still trembling,” said Maria San José, 33, who was travelling on the train that first derailed.
Another passenger told the public broadcaster RTVE that one of the carriages of the first train had completely overturned.
An unidentified passenger on the second train, which was travelling from Madrid to Huelva, told TVE: “There were people screaming. Bags fell from the shelves. I was in the fourth carriage, the last one, luckily.”
Spanish media reported that the Renfe train was travelling at around 200kmh at the moment of impact. It was not immediately clear how fast the Iryo train was going.
Television footage showed emergency services, including medical teams and firefighters, working through the night at the crash site.
The fire chief in Córdoba, Paco Carmona, said the Iryo train had been evacuated within hours, but the Renfe carriages were badly damaged. “There are still people trapped,” he said. “The areas are very narrow, and we have to remove bodies to reach anyone who may still be alive. It is a very complicated operation.”
Puente said the cause of the crash was not yet known. Speaking at a press conference at Madrid’s Atocha station, he described it as “really strange” that a derailment had occurred on a straight stretch of track. He added that the section had been renewed in May.
Most of the fatalities and serious injuries were in the first two carriages of the second train, Puente said.
Sánchez cleared his schedule on Monday to deal with the tragedy, while the royal household said the king and queen were following developments closely.
A journalist travelling on one of the trains told RNE that the impact felt “like an earthquake”. Passengers used emergency hammers to smash windows and escape from the carriages, he said.
One passenger, Carmen, wrote on X that the Málaga–Madrid train began to shake violently shortly after departure. “The train derailed from coach six behind us. The lights went out,” she said.
Video posted on social media showed an Iryo official instructing passengers to remain seated in darkened carriages and asking those with first aid training to assist others. He urged passengers to conserve their phone batteries and use torches only when leaving the train.
Reports suggested around 400 people were travelling on the two trains combined.
In Adamuz, a town of about 5,000 people, a reception centre was set up for passengers. Local residents brought food and blankets as temperatures overnight dropped to about 6C.
The president of the Madrid region, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, said hospitals in Madrid were available to support Andalusia if needed.
Iryo, the Italian-run private rail operator, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Adif said all rail services between Madrid and Andalusia had been suspended.
