A high-speed train derailed and collided with another oncoming train in southern Spain on Sunday, pushing the second train off the track. At least 21 people were killed in the clash, police sources confirmed to Reuters.
The accident happened near Adamuz, in the province of Córdoba. So far, police have confirmed that 21 people have been killed, with state broadcaster Televisión Española adding that 100 people have been injured, 25 seriously. The driver of one of the trains, which traveled from Madrid to Huelva, was among the dead, the TV station added.
The collision occurred at 6:40 PM local time, about 10 minutes after the Iryo train left Córdoba for Madrid.
Iryo is a private railway company, majority owned by the Italian state-owned railway group Ferrovie dello Stato. The train involved was a Freccia 1000 train, which ran between Malaga and Madrid, a Ferrovie dello Stato spokesman said.
The company said in a statement that it deeply regretted what had happened and had activated all emergency protocols to work closely with the relevant authorities to bring the situation under control.
The second train was operated by Renfe, which also did not respond to a request for comment.
The Rail Infrastructure Manager (ADIF) has suspended all rail services between Madrid and Andalusia.
‘Like a horror movie’
Lucas Meriako, who traveled on the first derailed train, told LaSexta Television that “this looks like a horror movie.”
“We felt a very strong blow from behind and the feeling that the whole train was about to collapse, to break… there were many people injured by the glass,” he told Agence France-Presse.
The Iryo train had more than 300 passengers on board, while the Renfe train had about 100 passengers.
Paco Carmona, Córdoba’s fire chief, told TVE that the first train from Malaga to Madrid had been evacuated.
The other train’s carriages were badly damaged, he said, with twisted metal and seats.
“People are still trapped. We don’t know how many people have died and the operation is focusing on moving people out of very narrow areas,” he said.
Spain was experiencing a “night of deep pain,” Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on Monday. Source: EPA / Salas
Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente said he was following events from ADIF’s headquarters in Madrid.
“The latest information is very serious,” he wrote on X.
“The impact was terrible, throwing the first two carriages of the Renfe train off the track. The number of casualties cannot be confirmed at this time. The most important thing now is to help the victims.”
The mayor of Adamuz, Rafael Moreno, told EL PAÍS newspaper that he was one of the first to arrive at the scene of the accident with local police and saw what he thought was a severely torn body a few meters from the accident site.
“The scene is horrible,” he said.
“I don’t think they were on the same track, but that’s not clear. Now the mayors and residents of the area are focused on helping the passengers.”
#Horrific #scenes #highspeed #trains #derail #Spain #killing #people