At least 21 people were killed and dozens injured after a high-speed train derailed and collided with another train on Sunday evening in southern Spain, triggering a major emergency response.
Passengers trapped inside the wreckage used emergency hammers to smash windows and escape. Videos shared from the scene showed people crawling out through shattered windows as several coaches lay tilted or partially derailed. Witnesses said the impact felt “like an earthquake,” with some passengers reporting smoke inside the carriages and needing medical treatment, according to Euro News.
The accident occurred around 7.45pm near Córdoba when the rear portion of a Málaga–Madrid service, carrying about 300 passengers, derailed, crossed onto the opposite track and crashed into a Madrid–Huelva train with roughly 200 passengers on board, rail operator ADIF said.
Spain’s Transport Minister Óscar Puente confirmed the fatalities and warned the death toll could rise as rescue teams continue to search the site. “The hospitals of the Community of Madrid and the 112 emergency services are on standby and at the disposal of the Andalusian government,” said Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso.
Andalusia’s regional health chief Antonio Sanz said 73 injured passengers had been taken to six hospitals. The crash happened in the early evening, forcing emergency crews to rescue hundreds of survivors in darkness.
Puente said the cause of the accident remains unclear, calling it a “truly strange” incident because it occurred on a flat section of track that had been renovated in May, according to AP. He added that the rear of the first train derailed and struck the front of the oncoming service, pushing its first two carriages off the tracks and down a four-metre slope. The front section of the Renfe train suffered the most severe damage.
Investigators have said determining the cause could take up to a month.
Córdoba fire chief Francisco Carmona told national broadcaster RNE that one of the trains was badly mangled, with at least four coaches derailed. Spain’s military emergency units were deployed alongside civil protection teams, while the Red Cross assisted health authorities. Regional civil protection chief María Belén Moya Rojas said local residents brought blankets and water to help survivors.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was following “the terrible news” from Córdoba. ADIF has suspended all rail services between Madrid and Andalusia until further notice.
