Rescue crews worked overnight to help passengers trapped in damaged carriages
</p><div><p>At least 21 people were killed and dozens of others injured in the collision between two high-speed trains in southern Spain on Sunday evening.
According to Spain’s Railway Infrastructure Administration, Adif, the crash took place near the town of Adamuz, close to Cordoba, at 6:40 pm local time (17:40 GMT). A high-speed train traveling from Malaga to Madrid derailed and crossed onto an adjacent track about ten minutes after departure.
A second high-speed train traveling in the opposite direction, from Madrid to Huelva, also derailed as a result of the collision. Private railway company Iryo, which operated the Malaga-Madrid service, confirmed that there were around 300 passengers on board at the time of the incident.
At least 21 people were confirmed dead as rescue crews continued their efforts overnight to evacuate passengers trapped in damaged carriages. Another 73 people were seriously injured, according to Andalusian emergency services.
Salvador Jimenez, a journalist at RTVE who was on one of the trains, said of the impact “It felt like an earthquake.” In a later post on X he said there were passengers waiting in the “freezing night” for buses that take them to the Adamuz Sports Center.
A high-speed train derailed and crashed into another oncoming train in southern Spain, pushing the second train off the track in a collision that police sources confirmed killed at least 21 people. The accident happened near Adamuz, in the province of Cordoba. pic.twitter.com/uEJDc5Gaqs
— Echo (@EchoNexusX) January 18, 2026
Rail services between Madrid and Andalusia were suspended after the accident, while affected stations remained open overnight. Adif said support areas for relatives had been set up at major stations in Madrid, Seville, Cordoba, Malaga and Huelva.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the government was working with emergency services as the investigation into the cause of the crash continued.
The Royal Palace said on X that King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia were following news of the disaster “with great concern” and extended them “my deepest condolences to the relatives and loved ones of the dead.”
