A high-speed train derailed and collided with another train coming in the opposite direction on Sunday in southern Spain, pushing the second train off the tracks in a collision that police sources confirmed. Reuters He had killed at least 21 people.
The accident occurred near Adamuz, in the province of Córdoba. So far, police have confirmed the deaths of 21 people, according to the state broadcaster. Spanish Television adding that 100 people were injured, 25 of them seriously.
Among the deceased is the driver of one of the trains that traveled from Madrid to Huelva, the television network added.
“The train Iryo 6189 Malaga – (to Madrid) has derailed from the track in Adamuz, impacting the adjacent track. The train (from Madrid) to Huelva that was circulating on the adjacent track has also derailed,” reported Adif, manager of the railway network, in a publication on social networks.
Adif said that the accident occurred at 6:40 p.m. (17:40 GMT), about 10 minutes after the Iryo train left Córdoba heading to Madrid.
Iryo is a private railway operator, majority owned by the Italian state railway group Ferrovie dello Stato. The train involved was a Freccia 1000 that was traveling between Malaga and Madrid, according to a spokesperson for Ferrovie dello Stato.
The company said in a statement that it deeply regretted what happened and had activated all emergency protocols to work closely with the relevant authorities to manage the situation.
The second train was operated by Renfe, which also did not respond to a request for comment.
Adif has suspended all train services between Madrid and Andalusia.
horrible scene
The Iryo train had more than 300 passengers on board, while the Renfe train had around 100.
Paco Carmona, chief of the Córdoba Fire Department, said TVE The first train heading to Madrid from Malaga had been evacuated.
The other train’s cars were heavily damaged, he said, with twisted metal and seats. “There are still people trapped. We don’t know how many people have died and the operation is focused on getting people out of areas that are very narrow,” he said. “We have to remove the bodies to get to those who are still alive. It is proving to be a difficult task.”
Transport Minister Óscar Puente said he was following developments from the headquarters of rail operator Adif in Madrid.
“The latest information is very serious,” he publishes in
The mayor of Adamuz, Rafael Moreno, explained to the newspaper El País that he was one of the first to arrive at the scene of the accident along with local police and saw what he believed to be a severely lacerated body several meters from the accident site.
“The scene is horrible,” he said. “I don’t think they were on the same path, but it’s not clear. Now the mayors and residents of the area are focused on helping passengers.”
Calls to doctors
Local television footage showed a passenger reception center set up in the town of Adamuz, population 5,000, with locals coming and going with food and blankets amid nighttime temperatures of around 42 degrees Fahrenheit (6 degrees Celsius).
A woman named Carmen posted on X that she had been on board the Iryo train bound for Madrid. “Ten minutes after leaving (Córdoba) the train started to shake a lot and derailed from car 6 behind us. The lights went out.”
Footage posted by another Iryo train passenger, also on He also urged people to keep cell phone batteries so they can use their flashlights when disembarking.
Salvador Jiménez, journalist RTVE who was aboard the Iryo train, shared images showing the front of the train’s rear car lying on its side, with evacuated passengers sitting on the side of the car looking up.
Jimenez said TVE By telephone, from the side of the damaged trains, passengers broke the windows with emergency hammers and got out, and saw two people being taken out on stretchers from the overturned cars.
“There is some uncertainty about when we will arrive in Madrid, where we will spend the night, we have not yet had any message from the train company,” he said. “It’s very cold but here we are.”
