ap | The death toll has risen to at least 39 in a train accident in southern Spain. This was reported by the state TV broadcaster RTVE, citing the Guardia Civil police unit. Initially there was talk of 21 deaths. Spain’s Transport Minister Óscar Puente confirmed the lower death toll after midnight and warned that more victims were to be expected. The regional president of Andalusia, Juanma Moreno, said 75 passengers were hospitalized, most of them in the nearby city of Cordoba, including 15 people with serious injuries. Moreno said crews worked throughout the night.
Antonio Sanz, the regional health minister for the province of Andalusia, said the situation at the accident site was “very serious.” “We have a very difficult night ahead of us.”
The high-speed train from Málaga to Madrid jumped off the tracks at around 7.45 p.m. on Sunday evening and collided with a train that was traveling from Madrid towards Huelva, as announced by the Spanish rail network operator Adif. According to Transportation Secretary Puente, the rear of the first train derailed and crashed into the front tip of the second, causing the first two cars of the train to be thrown off the tracks and tumble down a four-meter-deep embankment. According to media reports, there were a total of around 500 passengers on the two trains.
Incident raises questions: “Really strange”
Puente said the causes of the accident are still unknown. He described the incident as “really strange” as it occurred on a flat stretch of road that had only been repaired in May. According to Puente, the derailed train was less than four years old.
Salvador Jiménez, a journalist for Spanish broadcaster RTVE who was traveling on one of the trains, told the AP by phone: “It felt like an earthquake.” He explained that passengers used emergency hammers to break windows and that some escaped unharmed. Videos from the scene of the accident show people climbing out of windows while the carriages were tilted. The incident occurred in the early evening and hundreds of survivors had to be rescued in the dark.
The regional head of civil protection, María Belén Moya Rojas, told broadcaster Canal Sur that the accident occurred in an area that was difficult to access. Residents brought blankets and water to the scene of the accident to help those affected.
The Spanish Red Cross set up an aid center in the town of Adamuz near the scene of the accident, which offered support to rescue workers and people looking for information. Members of the Spanish police force Guardia Civil and Civil Defense were also on site and worked on the cold, cloudless night. Only emergency services were allowed to approach the scene of the accident.
Adif announced that train services between Madrid and cities in Andalusia will not run on Monday.
The government and the royal family express their condolences
“Tonight is a time of deep sadness for our country,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote on X. “I would like to express my sincere condolences to the families and relatives of the victims.”
Also Spain’s King Felipe VI. and Queen Letizia expressed their condolences and condolences on social media.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in an article on X that she was following “the terrible news” from Córdoba. “Tonight you are in my thoughts,” she wrote in Spanish.