At least 39 people have died, and dozens have been injured after the horrific train crash in Spain on Sunday, as one Madrid-bound train derailed and crossed over to the opposite tracks, colliding with an oncoming train. Passengers now share harrowing recollections of the crash, which alread is already the world’s worst rail accident in Spain in more than a decade.
The accident occurred on Sunday night. The high-speed Iryo train was traveling from Malaga to Madrid when it derailed near the municipality of Adamuz in the Córdoba province in Spain.
It crossed onto the opposite track and hit an oncoming train. Spain’s rail infrastructure authority, Adif, wrote on its website. The second train, operated by the state rail company, Renfe, also derailed and went down a ditch.
The accident occurred about ten minutes after the high-speed train Iryo had left Malaga at 5.40 pm, GMT. They carried a total of fourhundred passengers.
Footage from the scene shows train carriages tipped over. Rescue workers can be seen scanning the train to pull people out of the train doors and windows.
“I was in the first carriage. There was a moment when it felt like an earthquake and the train had indeed derailed,” Jimenez said.
High-speed train crash in Spain kills at least 39
At least 39 people have been confirmed dead, with 122 people being treated, per The Guardian. As of Monday morning, Spanish time, 48, including five children, were still in the hospital. 11 adults and one child were treated in the intensive care unit.
According to the Spanish Civil Guard, it’s the country’s worst rail crash in more than a decade.
“There are still people trapped. The operation is concentrating on getting people out of areas which are very narrow, ” Córdoba’s chief of fire, Paco Carmona, told local broadcasters. “We have to remove the bodies to reach anyone who is still alive. It is proving to be a complicated task.”
Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente described the incident as “extremely strange.” Officials have launched an investigation. Salvador Jimenez, who was on one of the trains, said the impact felt like an “earthquake”.
“I was in the first carriage. There was a moment when it felt like an earthquake and the train had indeed derailed,” Jimenez said, per the BBC.
José, a passenger on the Madrid-bound train, told Canal Sur: “There were people and screaming, calling for doctors.”
“A night of deep pain,” Spain Prime Minister says
Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, said Spain will endure a “night of deep pain.”
On X, he wrote, “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,” he added. “All emergency services are working in a coordinated manner without rest.”
Our thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by this tragedy.
