At least 21 people have died and many more have been injured after an Iryo train with 300 passengers on board in Adamuz derailed after it crossed into the adjacent track and collided with an AVE train on the Madrid-Huelva route.
The second train is operated by Spanish state railway company Renfe.
According to footage shared by the passengers, several carriages on the train could be seen severely damaged after the crash.
Spanish railway infrastructure operator ADIF has suspended all train services between Madrid and Andalusia until further notice.
It confirmed that emergency services were deployed at the accident scene, where they were expected to work overnight alongside the authorities, Renfe, and Iryo.
Testimonies from inside
Passengers who remained in the carriages shared images and messages on social networks. One witness said that the blow felt like an earthquake. Passengers had to break the windows of the trains in order to escape from them, which caused several injuries due to cuts.
Salvador Jiménez, a journalist from Spanish public broadcaster RTVE who was travelling on the train leaving Malaga, reported that the last two carriages were derailed and one of them “completely overturned”.
“We left Malaga on time at 6:40 pm with destination Madrid, I was in the first carriage. There was a moment when it felt like an earthquake and the train had indeed derailed.”
“They called immediately to see if there were people in the health service who could help, they took hammers to break the windows and in the end they evacuated us”, he explained.
Several passengers reported smoke inside the trains and requested medical assistance for passengers with injuries.
Transport minister on the case
The authorities continue to assess the situation while emergency teams assess the scene to attend to those affected and determine the extent of the incident.
The Red Cross has mobilised a medical ambulance from Cordoba and three other ambulances from Jaen. It will also send basic necessities for the passengers on both trains involved in the accident.
Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente posted his X account that he was already in the ADIF Operations Control Centre, closely following the last hour of the serious accident. “I will keep you informed here of the news that is confirmed”, Puente added.
Community of Madrid President Isabel Díaz Ayuso offered the help of the Spanish capital’s hospitals to attend to the injured.
“The hospitals of the Community of Madrid and the 112 teams are on standby over the tragic accident in Cordoba and are at the disposal of the Andalusian Regional Government. Support teams will be deployed in Atocha to accompany the relatives,” Ayuso said on X.
