Two high-speed trains derailed in southern Spain on Sunday, killing at least 21 people, police sources told Reuters

A high-speed passenger train derailed and collided with an oncoming train in southern Spain on Sunday evening, killing at least 21 people and injuring dozens more, police sources told Reuters.

The crash occurred near the town of Adamuz in Córdoba province at around 6:40 p.m. local time (1740 GMT). Spain’s state broadcaster TVE reported that at least 100 people were injured, including 25 seriously. Among the dead was the driver of one of the trains.

Rail infrastructure operator Adif said an Iryo-operated train, service number 6189, traveling from Málaga to Madrid, derailed shortly after leaving Córdoba and crashed onto an adjacent track. A second train, operated by state-owned Renfe and traveling from Madrid to Huelva, was struck and pushed off the rails.

“The Iryo Málaga–Madrid train derailed at Adamuz and collided with another train traveling on the adjacent track, which also derailed,” Adif said in a post on social media. The accident happened about 10 minutes after the Iryo train departed Córdoba.

Iryo, a private rail operator majority-owned by Italy’s state-controlled Ferrovie dello Stato, said the train involved was a Frecciarossa 1000 high-speed service. The company said it deeply regretted the incident and had activated all emergency protocols in coordination with authorities. Renfe did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Adif has suspended all rail traffic between Madrid and the southern Andalusia region.

Horrific scene

The Iryo train was carrying more than 300 passengers, while the Renfe train had about 100 on board. Paco Carmona, Córdoba’s fire chief, told TVE that passengers from the Iryo train had been evacuated, while the Renfe carriages suffered severe damage.

“The other train’s cars are twisted, with seats torn apart. There are still people trapped,” Carmona said. “We have to remove bodies to reach survivors. It’s extremely complicated.”

Transport Minister Óscar Puente said he was monitoring the situation from Adif’s headquarters in Madrid. “The latest information is very serious,” he wrote on X. “The impact was terrible. The priority now is assisting the victims.”

Adamuz Mayor Rafael Moreno told El País that he was among the first officials to reach the scene. “The scene is horrific,” he said, adding that local residents and officials were helping passengers as rescue efforts continued.

Calls for medics

Television footage showed a reception center set up in Adamuz, a town of about 5,000 residents, where locals provided food and blankets to passengers as nighttime temperatures dropped to around 6 degrees Celsius (42°F).

Passengers described chaotic scenes moments after the derailment. A woman identified as Carmen wrote on X that the Iryo train began shaking violently before derailing. “The lights went out,” she said.

Video posted on social media showed Iryo staff instructing passengers to remain seated in darkened carriages and asking those with first-aid training to assist others. Passengers were also urged to conserve phone batteries for use as torches.

Salvador Jiménez, a journalist with RTVE who was on board the Iryo train, said passengers used emergency hammers to break windows and escape. “We’ve seen people taken out on stretchers,” he told TVE by phone from the scene. “It’s very cold, and we still don’t know where we’ll spend the night.”