Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter

Image source, EPA/ Spanish Civil Guard

Spain is in mourning following the worst train crash the country has seen in more than a decade.

At least 39 people were killed when two trains collided near the city of Córdoba at around 19:45 local time (18:45 GMT) on Sunday.

Officials said 122 people were treated for injuries, and 48 people, including 5 children, were still in hospital.

Passengers described horrific scenes as part of the train fell on its side and the carriages were plunged into darkness.

"The train tipped to one side, then everything went dark, and all I heard was screams," one woman told reporters.

After the trains collided, passenger Lucas Meriako, said he felt a jolt and it seemed the whole train was going to fall apart. The impact of the crash threw people to the floor and shattered the windows, which people started smashing in order to get out.

The relatives of missing people have started posting their photos on social media, asking if anyone has seen them. Some families have been going from hospital to hospital to try to find their loved ones.

It remains unclear what caused the train to derail, but Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has vowed to find answers.

We are closing our live coverage, but you can read more in our main news story.

The high speed rail service between Madrid and Córdoba, Seville, Málaga and Huelva, has been suspended until Friday.

Train operator Renfe says it is working on alternative solutions for people to travel to and from these destinations.

It is also putting on extra trains on the Madrid–Extremadura–Sevilla line to help people travel to these regions.

Image source, Reuters

Angel, a lottery-vendor in Adamuz, tells Reuters news agency he heard about the train crash minutes after it took place. He climbed up the roof of a building to get a better view of the accident site.

"I could see 40 or 50 police cars, firefighters, ambulances, civil protection. A lot of traffic, they closed the road [leading to the accident site] as well," he says.

Antonia, a 62-year-old farmer in the town, says his wife and child also saw a lot of ambulances, police and wounded people following the incident.

"Our town had never seen a tragedy like this," he added.

Maria, another local, says residents gave water and blankets to people at the crash site.

Guy Hedgecoe
Reporting from Adamuz

Image source, Burak Akbulut/Anadolu via Getty Images

The prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, arrived in Adamuz accompanied by a convoy of cars and his security detail. It was an incongruous moment for this sleepy town which sits next to the site of the crash.

The Socialist leader declared three days of mourning and called for Spaniards to unite in grief. However, what caught many people's ear was his insistence on 'absolute transparency' in finding the cause of the accident.

Last April, Spain suffered a national electricity blackout for several hours. The government's failure to give an immediate explanation as to why it happened drew accusations from political opponents of incompetence and encouraged outlandish conspiracy theories.

With almost any news event in Spain now feeding into the country's deeply polarised politics, Sánchez clearly wants to make sure that Sunday's tragedy in southern Spain does not suffer a similar fate.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said he's determined to find out the cause of the high-speed train crash that killed at least 39 people on Sunday night.

Here's a reminder of what we know so far:

• At least 39 people are known to have died in the crash - a number which Andalusian regional President Juanma Moreno says is "more than likely" to rise
• 122 people were treated for injuries, with 48 still in hospital
• Sánchez has declared three days of national mourning starting from midnight tonight

• "We were thrown through the air", says one passenger on the Madrid bound train

• It remains unclear what caused the train to derail - this image shows how the incident unfolded
• 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

The image below shows how Sunday's train crash unfolded.

At least 39 people were killed when the Madrid-bound train derailed and crashed into an oncoming train on the opposite tracks.

Emergency services have said 122 people were treated for injuries and 48, including five children, are still in hospital.

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

We have just heard from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and other officials during a press conference in Adamuz, where the crash happened on Sunday.

Here's a recap of what they had to say:

• Adamuz Mayor Rafael Ángel Moreno Reyes began by thanking locals for giving a "helping hand", including those who went to the crash site with blankets and food
• This is anunprecedented disaster, said Andalusian regional president Juanma Moreno
• Moreno confirmed 48 people are still in hospital and said local officials are working to identify those who have died. He said there are many hours of very hard work ahead of us
• Prime minister Sánchez declared three days of national mourning from midnight tonight until midnight on Thursday
• He said today is a "very sad day for everyone in Spain"
• The PM vowed to find answers and thanked public workers and emergency service staff for their work "in a moment of such pain and tragedy"

Video shows staff urging people to remain calm after train crashpublished at 14:07 GMT 19 January

14:07 GMT 19 January

By Kayleen Devlin and Benedict Garman

Video filmed by a passenger inside one of the trains involved in yesterday’s crash shows a member of staff instructing passengers to remain inside the carriage, urging them to stay together and look out for one another.

The footage was uploaded to social media on Sunday evening by passenger Adri Vélez, who wrote on X that people in the carriage were safe, but that they were unsure about the condition of others.

Vélez added that there was smoke inside the train and that passengers could be heard calling for a doctor.

At least 39 people were killed after the Madrid-bound train derailed and crashed into an oncoming one, although Spain’s transport minister has cautioned this number is “not yet final”.

Emergency services have said 122 people were treated for injuries and 48, including five children, are still in hospital.

In the video, the staff member tells passengers to stay seated, while those who are standing are asked to move towards the front carriages, where there are empty seats.

“It’s safer to stay inside the train for now because we don’t know the condition of the track,” he says.

In a later post on X, Vélez wrote: “At the time, I was recording and posting without really being aware of much. Now, having had time to reflect, I want to thank the staff at @iryo_eu, who were incredibly professional despite everything.”

Image source, Reuters

Sánchez highlights the work of all the public servants and all of the emergency services, from medics and the city hall right up to national government, "in a moment of such pain and tragedy".

They have all been working well into the night and he says he recognises their professionalism and humanity.

People will be asking how it's possible that this tragedy happened, he says, but with time and work by these specialists, we will find the answers.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez speaks next.

He says today is a "very sad day for everyone in Spain" and adds that he is thinking of all the victims and relatives, and offers his condolences and solidarity.

Andalusian regional president Juanma Moreno is up next.

He says they've had to deal with an unprecedented disaster.

He thanks everyone for their cooperation and show of solidarity.

Forty-eight people are currently in hospital, he says, adding hopefully they will be discharged soon.

He says they are trying to identify those who have died. There are many hours of very hard work ahead of us and each level of administration will do everything we can to help, he says.

We're bringing you lines from a news conference at the crash site with top Spanish officials now, including Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Andalusian regional President Juanma Moreno.

But it's Adamuz Mayor Rafael Ángel Moreno Reyes who starts the conference, thanking locals who came out to help "from the very first moment", bringing food, blankets and a "helping hand".

He offers his "heartfelt condolences" to those who have lost loved ones.

Stay with us as we bring you more.

The Spanish prime minister has also declared three days of national mourning.

Speaking at a news conference, he says the official period of mourning will start from midnight tonight and run until midnight on Thursday.

Image source, Reuters

A young woman who was travelling on the train has been telling reporters about the moment the train crashed.

"The train tipped to one side," she said in quotes cited by Reuters news agency, "then everything went dark, and all I heard was screams."

Ana was dragged out of the train window by other passengers. She was travelling with her sister, who was rescued from the wreckage by firefighters.

“There were people who were fine and others who were very,very badly injured," Ana said.

"You had them right in front of you and you knew they were going to die, and you couldn’t do anything."

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.