Madrid, Spain — At least 21 people were killed and more than 70 others injured after two high-speed trains collided near the southern Spanish city of Cordoba, authorities said Monday, as rescue operations continued and officials warned the death toll could rise.
Thirty of the injured remain in critical condition and have been hospitalized, Spain’s Transport Minister Oscar Puente said. Earlier media reports had put the death toll at 25 before authorities confirmed revised figures.
The accident occurred at around 7:45 p.m. local time on Sunday when a high-speed train carrying 317 passengers on the Malaga-to-Madrid route derailed near the town of Adamuz, about 20 kilometers from Cordoba, for reasons that remain under investigation. Spanish officials said the derailed train struck another high-speed train traveling on an adjacent track from Madrid to Huelva, causing the second train to derail as well.
Calling the collision “terrible,” Puente said the last two wagons of the Malaga-Madrid train derailed and slammed into the first two carriages of the oncoming train, forcing them off the tracks.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed condolences to the victims and their families. “Today is a night of deep pain for our country owing to the tragic rail accident in Adamuz,” he wrote on X. Spain’s royal family also conveyed its sympathies.
Emergency services from the Andalusia region were dispatched to the site, while local residents helped move passengers with minor injuries to a nearby sports center for first aid. Spain’s Military Emergency Unit was also mobilized to assist with rescue and recovery efforts.
Rescue operations continued into the night, with authorities cautioning that the number of fatalities could increase as search efforts progress. Rail services on the affected lines have been suspended until at least Tuesday, officials said.
Rail infrastructure operator Adif said information centers have been set up at Madrid’s Atocha Station as well as in Malaga and Huelva to assist relatives of passengers. A dedicated telephone helpline has also been established.
Spain’s deadliest rail disaster occurred in July 2013, when 79 people were killed after a high-speed train derailed while entering Santiago de Compostela at excessive speed. (Source: IANS)
