Tragedy on Tracks: High-Speed Train Collision in Spain Claims 39 Lives

Mon Jan 19 2026 23:49:52 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A devastating train collision in southern Spain results in at least 39 casualties and numerous injuries, marking the nation's worst rail incident in over a decade.

A horrifying train crash occurred in southern Spain, leading to at least 39 fatalities and injuring dozens more as two high-speed trains collided near Adamuz. Over 400 individuals were aboard the trains, and rescue efforts were complicated by the wreckage. The Transport Minister called the incident 'extremely strange', as investigations commence to determine the cause. The crash raises alarms regarding rail safety, echoing memories of the 2013 Galicia disaster.

At least 39 people have died in a train collision in southern Spain and dozens more have been injured in the country's worst rail crash in more than a decade, Spain's Civil Guard has said.

Carriages on a Madrid-bound train derailed and crossed over to the opposite tracks, colliding with an oncoming train in Adamuz on Sunday evening.

Four hundred passengers and staff were onboard both trains, the rail networks reported. Emergency services treated 122 individuals, with 43 still hospitalized, including four children. Of those hospitalized, 12 adults and one child are in intensive care.

Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente stated that the death toll is not yet final, as officials launched an investigation.

Puente described the incident as extremely strange. He indicated that all the railway experts consulted by the government are thoroughly baffled by the accident.

The rail network operator Adif stated that the collision occurred at 19:45 local time (18:45 GMT), about an hour after the train departed Málaga heading north to Madrid, when it derailed on a straight stretch of track near Córdoba.

The crash's force pushed the carriages of the second train—traveling south from Madrid to Huelva—into an embankment.

The type of train involved in the crash was a Freccia 1000, capable of reaching speeds up to 400 km/h (250 mph), a spokesperson for the Italian rail company Ferrovie dello Stato confirmed.

Rescue teams faced significant challenges due to the twisted wreckage, complicating their efforts to free individuals trapped inside the carriages.

Córdoba fire chief Francisco Carmona commented, We have even had to remove a dead person to be able to reach someone alive. It is hard, tricky work.

Salvador Jimenez, a journalist with RTVE who was on one of the trains, described the impact as feeling like an earthquake. Footage from the scene revealed carriages tipped over on their sides, and rescue workers were seen scaling the train to extricate trapped individuals.

Following the accident, all rail services between Madrid and Andalusia were suspended and are expected to remain closed for the day. Iryo, a private rail company that operated the journey from Málaga, reported around 300 passengers on board the derailed train, while the other train, operated by the state-funded firm Renfe, had around 100 passengers.

As responses from the international community poured in, including condolences from French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, attention turned to the investigation which is not expected to provide answers for at least a month.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed that the nation would endure a night of deep pain and extended condolences to victims' families, while the mayor of Adamuz described the crash scene as a nightmare. This tragic event rekindles memories of Spain's 2013 train disaster in Galicia, which claimed 80 lives.

The Spanish high-speed rail network, the second largest globally, connects over 50 cities across the country, with Adif data indicating a network length of more than 4,000km (2,485 miles).