At least 21 dead in high-speed train collision in Spain

A high-speed train derailed, crossed onto the opposite track and collided with an oncoming train on Sunday in southern Spain, killing at least 21 people and injuring dozens more, according to the country’s transport minister.

The rear cars of an evening train traveling from Malaga to Madrid, carrying about 300 passengers, went off the rails near the city of Córdoba at around 7:45 p.m. local time, NBC News reported. 

The derailed section then struck another train with approximately 200 passengers that was traveling from Madrid to Huelva, another city in southern Spain, rail operator Adif said.

Spain’s Transport Minister Óscar Puente announced after midnight that the confirmed death toll had risen to 21, noting that rescue teams had removed all survivors from the wreckage. However, Puente cautioned that the number of victims could still increase as authorities continue to verify information.

Andalusia regional President Juanma Moreno said 75 passengers were hospitalized, with most taken to the nearby city of Cordoba, including 15 people with serious injuries.

Moreno said emergency workers would work all night to remove bodies from the wreckage.

“We have a very difficult night ahead,” Andalusia’s regional health chief Antonio Sanz said.

Puente said the cause of the crash was unknown.

He called it “a truly strange” incident because it happened on a flat stretch of track that had been renovated in May. He also said the train that jumped the track was less than four years old. That train belonged to the private company Iryo, while the second train, which took the brunt of the impact, was part of Spain’s public train company Renfe.

Iryo issued a statement saying it “deeply lamented what has happened” and that it was working with authorities to manage the situation.

According to Puente, the back part of the first train derailed and crashed into the head of the other train, knocking its first two carriages off the track and down a 13-foot slope. He said the worst damage was to the front section of the Renfe train.

When asked by reporters how long an inquiry into the crash’s cause could take, he said it could be a month.

Stabil.Az