Summary

  • At least 39 people have been killed in a high-speed train crash in Spain - here's what we know

  • A Madrid-bound train derailed and crossed over to the opposite tracks, colliding with an oncoming train in Adamuz on Sunday. It happened at 19:45 local time (18:45 GMT), about an hour after the train left Málaga

  • A passenger on the train told local media he felt a jolt and had "the feeling that the whole train was going to fall apart"

  • Most of those killed and injured were in the front carriages of the second train, which was travelling south from Madrid to Huelva

  • Transport Minister Oscar Puente says the crash happened on a straight part of the track, calling it "extremely strange". Meanwhile rail company Iryo says the "relatively new" Madrid train, built in 2022, was inspected four days ago

  • Have you been affected by the collision? If it's safe to do so, get in touch via email, external or WhatsApp +44 7756 165803, external

Media caption,

Spain train crash survivors describe 'absolutely terrifying' scene

  1. Watch: Aerial footage shows crash site and train wreckagepublished at 12:49 GMT

    Video released by Spain's Civil Guard shows ongoing operations at the crash site, with a number of emergency services personnel inspecting the carriages and railway tracks.

    Media caption,

    Aerial footage shows crash site and train wreckage

  2. Spanish PM expected to give update soonpublished at 12:40 GMT

    Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is expected to give an update on the train crash in the next few minutes.

    We'll bring you the latest as it happens - stick with us.

  3. 'We were thrown through the air'published at 12:28 GMT

    Rocío Flores, a passenger on the Madrid-bound train, says passengers were flung in the air when the crash happened.

    The 30-year-old is currently being treated for her injuries in a hospital in Córdoba.

    "I’m covered in pain and bruises," she tells Spanish newspaper El Pais.

    "It was terrible. We were thrown through the air. Thank God I’m OK, but there were many people worse off than me," she says.

  4. More than 220 officers working at crash site, Civil Guard sayspublished at 12:21 GMT

    Guardia Civil, Spain's law enforcement agency, says more than 220 Civil Guard officers are engaged in rescue operations at the crash site.

    In a post on X, external, shared along with a video of rescue work at the site, it says efforts are also ongoing to identify victims.

  5. Spanish king and queen to cut Greece visit short following crashpublished at 12:15 GMT

    Nikos Papanikolaou
    BBC News

    The Spanish Queen and King standing next to each other and speaking to the media, with several microphones in front of themImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    The royals say they are "deeply concerned" about the crash

    Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, who are in Athens to attend the funeral of Princess Irene of Greece, are cutting short their visit following the crash.

    Speaking briefly to the media as he arrived at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens this morning, King Felipe said he would return to Spain as soon as possible.

    “I understand the desperation of the families, and with the number of people who remain injured as a result of this accident, we are all truly concerned,” he said.

    Queen Letizia added that their priority was to be with those affected “by this brutal accident”.

  6. Where and how did the crash happen?published at 12:12 GMT

    A graphic shows the location of where the two trains collided, near Adamuz in southern Spain.

    The crash occurred near Adamuz in southern Spain at around 19:45 local time (18:45 GMT) on Sunday, about an hour after one of the trains departed Málaga for Madrid.

    The train derailed and crossed over to the opposite track, rail operator Adif said.

    It then collided with an oncoming train travelling south from Madrid to Huelva, which was forced into an embankment running alongside the track, Spain's Transport Minister Óscar Puente said on Sunday.

    What caused the train to derail remains unclear.

    The president of Spain's state-owned rail operator, Renfe, said he had "discarded" the possibility that the incident occurred due to excessive speed or human error.

    Officials say an investigation has been launched but it is not expected to determine what happened for at least a month.

  7. Heavy equipment needed to lift train wagons, says regional officialpublished at 12:00 GMT

    The president of the Andalusian regional government, Juanma Moreno, says the death toll "is not going to stop there" and "it is more than likely" to increase.

    At least 39 people are currently known to have died.

    Monero tells local outlet Canal Sur that they are waiting for "heavy machinery" to "practically lift" three wagons of the train that was crashed into by another that derailed, which "has taken the worst part of this accident".

    The machinery is expected to arrive "around" 13:00 local time (12:00 GMT).

    "Until the heavy machinery can do its job and free the wagons from the track", forensic doctors and fire fighters will not be able to start "searching and identifying" remaining bodies, the president says.

  8. More than 40 people remain in hospital, including four childrenpublished at 11:51 GMT

    Spain's ministry of health has just released an update on the number of victims who are still in hospital following the crash.

    It says 43 people remain in hospital - 39 adults and four children.

    One of the children and 12 adults are in intensive care.

    Since yesterday, 79 people have already been discharged.

  9. Flags at half-mast and moments of silence as Spain mournspublished at 11:40 GMT

    The Spanish flag flies at half-mast at the Lower House in Madrid, SpainImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    Flags are being flown at half-mast across Spain, including at the lower house of parliament, the Congress of Deputies (pictured)

    Football players stand in a circle on a training pitch with the Madrid skyline in the backgroundImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    Moments of silence are also being observed. Real Madrid players remembered the crash victims before training

  10. Train crash is a 'catastrophe', says regional leaderpublished at 11:26 GMT

    The president of the Andalusian regional government, Juanma Moreno, has called the crash a "catastrophe".

    "These kinds of accidents are surprising. The crash was very, very serious. A train carries society - grandparents, children, pregnant women... It's a catastrophe," he told Spanish news broadcaster, La Sexta.

    At least 39 people have been killed and dozens more injured in the high-speed train collision in southern Spain.

  11. Condolences pour in from across Europepublished at 10:59 GMT

    Condolences have poured in for the victims and those injured in the high-speed train crash since Sunday evening.

    Addressing the people of Spain, French President Emmanuel Macron says: "France stands by your side."

    Italy's Prime Minister echoed this message. "Italy stands close to Spain in its grief for this tragedy."

    Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha addresses the Spanish people, telling them to "stay strong", adding that Ukraine "shared [their] pain".

  12. Passenger describes 'horrifying' moment of collisionpublished at 10:46 GMT

    Lucas Meriako, a passenger on the high-speed Madrid-bound train that derailed and collided with another oncoming train, says the experience was "horrifying".

    "We were in carriage five and we started to feel some banging on the track, nothing unusual," he tells Spanish news broadcaster, La Sexta Noticias.

    Then, the banging became louder, he says.

    "Another train passed us and everything started vibrating. There was a jolt behind us and the feeling that the whole train was going to fall apart," he describes.

    Meriako says that the impact of the collision shattered the train's windows, displaced luggage and threw people on to the floor. People then started breaking windows to get out.

  13. Crash did not happen due to excessive speed or human error, says train operator headpublished at 10:33 GMT

    The president of state-funded firm Renfe, which operated one of the trains involved in the collision, says he has "discarded" the possibility that the incident happened due to excessive speed or human error.

    Speaking to RNE, Spain's national radio, Álvaro Fernández Heredia says human error is "practically discarded" as even if a mistake had been made, a system within the train would have fixed it.

    He adds that both trains were under the 250km/h (155mph) maximum speed on the stretch of track where the crash happened, and that it took place on a straight section of the track rather than a curve.

    Fernández Heredia points to either a mechanical fault or infrastructure issue as a more probable cause, but emphasizes that it's "very complicated" to arrive at a conclusion so soon after the incident.

  14. Spain's PM to visit train crash sitepublished at 10:23 GMT

    Close up shot of Pedro Sánchez looking down as he speaks into a microphone at an event. He is wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and purple purple and red tie.Image source, AFP
    Image caption,

    File photo of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez from June 2025

    Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will visit the scene of the crash in southern Spain later on Monday, local media report.

    Reports quote a statement by the prime minister's office saying the aim of his visit is "to get first-hand information" on Sunday's crash.

    Sánchez has cancelled his events schedule for Monday following the deadly incident, and is also reported to have pulled out of his plans to travel to Davos on Tuesday to attend the World Economic Forum.

  15. Crash on new section of line 'extremely strange', minister sayspublished at 10:03 GMT

    Spain's Transport Minister Óscar Puente tells reporters the crash took place on a straight section of track that had been completely renovated last May after major investment.

    The first train to derail was also "practically new", he says.

    This made the accident "extremely strange" and "very difficult to explain". Rail experts are "very surprised by this accident", he adds.

    He says it will take at least a month for the results of the investigation to be released.

  16. Train that first derailed inspected four days ago, rail company sayspublished at 09:56 GMT

    The company that operated the train that first derailed while travelling between Málaga and Madrid on Sunday night says the locomotive was inspected just four days ago.

    In a statement quoted by AFP news agency, Iryo says the train was built in 2022 and so was relatively new.

    It "veered onto the adjacent track for still unknown reasons", the company says.

    Carriages on the Iryo-oeprated train derailed and crossed over to the opposite tracks in Adamuz on Sunday night, colliding with an oncoming train travelling south between Madrid and Huelva.

  17. What we know - and don't know - about the crashpublished at 09:42 GMT

    Members of the Spanish Civil Guard work next to one of the trains involved in the crashImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Around 100 people were believed to have been onboard this train, operated by state-funded company Renfe

    Details are still emerging from last night's train crash, with emergency services still working to establish the facts. Here's what we know so far:

    • At least 39 people have been killed - although Spain's transport minister says this number "is not yet final"
    • Emergency services have treated 122 people, 48 of which remain in hospital, including five children. Eleven of those still in hospital are in intensive care
    • The crash happened at 19:45 local time (18:45 GMT) as carriages on a Madrid-bound train derailed and crossed over to the opposite tracks, colliding with an oncoming train near Córdoba, in southern Spain
    • Around 300 people - passengers and staff - were on board the high-speed train operated by Iryo, which derailed. One hundred others were on the other train, operated by state-funded firm Renfe

    What we don't yet know:

    • What caused the train to derail remains unclear. Officials say an investigation has been launched but is not expected to determine what happened for at least a month
    • Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente has described the incident as "extremely strange", adding that all the railway experts consulted by the government "are extremely baffled by the accident"
    A map of Spain highlighting a section of the country’s high‑speed rail network. A blue line marks the high‑speed rail route running between Madrid in central Spain and Málaga in the south. A red dot marks Adamuz in the province of Córdoba near the midpoint of the route, where the two trains collided.
  18. Crash survivors urged to contact familiespublished at 09:29 GMT

    The emergency agency in the region of Andalusia has urged any crash survivors, external to contact their families or post on social media that they are alive.

    "For the peace of mind of your family and friends, it might be a good idea to post it on your social media or WhatsApp status—your loved ones will feel relieved, and the lines will stay free for those who need them," the Emergency Agency of Andalusia said in a post on X.

    Miguel Ángel Rodríguez from the Spanish Red Cross tells RNE radio: "The families are going through a situation of great anxiety due to the lack of information. These are very distressing moments."

  19. EU Commission 'ready to help' if neededpublished at 09:20 GMT

    The European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management has said the commission's emergency centre is in touch with Spanish authorities and is "ready to help with support if requested".

    In a post on X, Hadja Lahbib also expressed her gratitude to the first responders on the scene and sent her condolences to the victims of the "heartbreaking" train crash.

  20. 'It felt like an earthquake', says passengerpublished at 09:07 GMT

    One passenger who was on one of the trains involved in the crash late on Sunday night says the impact of the collision felt like an "earthquake".

    "I was in the first carriage. There was a moment when it felt like an earthquake and the train had indeed derailed," Spanish RTVE journalist Salvador Jimenez says.

    There were 400 passengers and staff onboard a Madrid-bound train and an oncoming Adamuz train when they collided, according to the rail networks.

    José, a passenger onboard the Madrid-bound train, told public broadcaster Canal Sur: "There were people screaming, calling for doctors."