Spain Train Accident: 21 Dead And 100 Injured as High-Speed Rail Collision Leaves Nation in Shock
A catastrophic collision between two high-speed trains in southern Spain has claimed at least 21 lives and left over 100 injured, prompting the country’s prime minister to describe the tragedy as a “night of deep pain” for the nation.
The disaster unfolded Sunday evening in Andalusia’s Adamuz region when a Malaga-to-Madrid passenger service derailed and veered onto an adjacent track, colliding head-on with an approaching train. Both trains derailed in the impact, according to Spain’s national rail operator Adif.
Antonio Sanz, Andalusia’s chief emergency official, confirmed that no fewer than 73 people sustained injuries in the crash. Warning that rescue operations faced significant challenges, he cautioned: “The situation is likely to see the death toll increase. A very complicated night awaits us.”
Transport Minister Oscar Puente revealed that 30 victims were transported to hospitals in critical condition, though all injured passengers have now been evacuated for medical treatment. The minister noted the crash occurred on a recently renovated straight section of track, with the first derailed train being “practically new”—factors that rendered the accident “extremely strange.”
Rail operator Iryo reported approximately 300 passengers were aboard the Malaga-Madrid service when disaster struck.
Rescue efforts were severely hampered by the twisted wreckage trapping victims inside mangled carriages. Francisco Carmona, Cordoba’s fire chief, described the grim reality facing emergency responders to public broadcaster RTVE: “The problem is that the carriages are twisted, so the metal is twisted with the people inside. We have even had to remove a dead person to be able to reach someone alive. It is hard, tricky work.”
Several carriages plunged down a four-metre embankment, Sanz confirmed during a press briefing.
Passengers recounted scenes of terror. Montse, a survivor from the Huelva-bound train, told Spanish public television the train “with a jolt, came to a complete stop, and everything went dark.” Thrown around in the rear carriage, she witnessed luggage crashing onto fellow passengers while a bleeding attendant sat behind her and children screamed in panic. “Luckily, I was in the last car. I feel like I was given a second chance at life,” she said.
Lucas Meriako, travelling on the initially derailed train, told La Sexta television: “This looks like a horror movie. We felt a very strong hit from behind and the feeling that the whole train was about to collapse, break… there were many injured due to the glass.”
Adif announced the suspension of all high-speed rail services linking Madrid with Andalusian cities—Cordoba, Seville, Malaga, and Huelva—for at least the entirety of Monday. The operator has established support centres at major stations to assist victims’ families.
The defence ministry deployed approximately 40 emergency military personnel and 15 vehicles to the crash site.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed the nation’s collective grief on social media platform X: “Today is a night of deep pain for our country owing to the tragic rail accident in Adamuz. No words can alleviate such great suffering, but I want them to know that the whole country is by their side in this tough moment.”
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia issued a statement saying they were monitoring developments “with great concern,” extending condolences to bereaved families and wishing swift recovery to the injured.
International leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen offered messages of sympathy.
Spain operates Europe’s most extensive high-speed rail network, spanning over 3,000 kilometres of dedicated track connecting major urban centres including Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Valencia, and Malaga.
The tragedy evokes painful memories of Spain’s deadliest rail disaster in modern history—a 2013 high-speed train derailment near Santiago de Compostela that killed 80 people and injured more than 140, marking the country’s worst such catastrophe since 1944.