At least 20 killed in head-on train collision in southern Spain
The evening train between Malaga and Madrid derailed and hit a train coming from Madrid to Huelva.
A high-speed train has derailed, jumped on to the track in the opposite direction and slammed into an oncoming train in southern Spain, killing at least 20 people and injuring dozens more, officials said.
The evening train between Malaga and Madrid went off the rails near Cordoba and crashed into a train coming from Madrid to Huelva, according to rail operator Adif. The two trains were carrying around 500 passengers, according to media reports.
Antonio Sanz, regional health minister for the Andalucia region where the crash happened, said officials told him there are more than 20 dead and they fear the death toll may rise.
Rescue operations are ongoing, he said, adding that 73 injured passengers have been taken to hospital.
He said at least one passenger carriage had rolled down a 13ft slope.
Francisco Carmona, the chief firefighter of Cordoba, told Spanish national radio RNE that one of the trains was badly mangled, with at least four wagons off the rails.
The situation at the crash site “is very serious”, Mr Sanz said. “We have a very difficult night ahead.”
The regional Civil Protection chief, Maria Belen Moya Rojas, told Canal Sur the accident happened in an area that is hard to reach.
Local people were taking blankets and water to the scene to help the victims, she said.
High-speed trains, running on an extensive national network, are a popular way to travel in Spain.
Spain’s military emergency relief units joined the deployment of other rescue units. The Red Cross also provided support to healthcare officials.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said in a post on X that she was following “the terrible news” from Cordoba.
“Tonight you are in my thoughts,” she wrote in Spanish.
Adif said train services between Madrid and cities in Andalucia would not run on Monday.
