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.

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.

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.

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.

Nikos Papanikolaou
BBC News

Image source, Reuters

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”.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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".

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.

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.

Image source, AFP

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.

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.

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.

Image source, Reuters

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"

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."

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.

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."