At least ten people have been killed and dozens injured after two high-speed trains collided and derailed in southern Spain on Saturday evening. The horrific accident occurred near Adamuz in the Cordoba province of Andalusia, prompting a massive emergency response and the suspension of all rail services between Madrid and Andalusia.
The accident happened at approximately 19:45 local time when an Iryo train traveling from Malaga to Madrid with over 300 passengers onboard came off the tracks at the entrance switches of track 1 in Adamuz. The derailed carriages encroached onto the neighboring track where a Renfe train traveling from Madrid to Huelva was passing, causing a devastating collision between the two trains.
Spain's Transport Minister Oscar Puente described the impact as terrible. He explained that the last units of the Iryo train heading toward Madrid had derailed, with those cars invading the opposite track where the Renfe train was traveling. The collision caused the first two units of the Renfe train to be thrown off the tracks as well.
According to the Guardia Civil, at least 10 people have died and 25 have been seriously injured, with approximately 100 people injured in total. Around 400 passengers were aboard the two trains at the time of the collision. Desperate passengers used emergency hammers to break carriage windows and escape the wreckage, with one witness telling TVE that an entire wagon from the first train had completely overturned.
The president of Andalusia, Juan Manuel Moreno, announced on social media that emergency rescue services and logistical support had been dispatched to the scene to assist with the response. Adif, Spain's railway infrastructure manager, has suspended all rail services on the affected corridor while investigators work to determine the cause of the derailment. Authorities have not yet established whether technical failure, infrastructure issues, or signaling problems were responsible for the tragedy.