MADRID
\nA high-speed train derailed and smashed into another oncoming train in southern Spain on Sunday, pushing the second train off the tracks in a collision that police sources confirmed to Reuters had killed at least 21 people.
\nThe accident happened near Adamuz, in Cordoba province. So far, 21 people have been confirmed dead by police, with state broadcaster Television Espanola adding that 100 people had been injured, 25 seriously.
\nThe driver of one of the trains, which was travelling from Madrid to Huelva, was among those who died, the TV station added.
\n\u201cThe Iryo 6189 Malaga – (to Madrid) train has derailed from the track at Adamuz, crashing onto the adjacent track. The (Madrid) to Huelva train which was travelling on the adjacent track has also derailed,\u201d said Adif, which runs the rail network, in a social media post.
\nIryo is a private rail operator, majority-owned by Italian state-controlled railway group Ferrovie dello Stato. The train involved was a Freccia 1000 train which was travelling between Malaga and Madrid, a spokesperson for Ferrovie dello Stato said.
\nThe company said in a statement that it deeply regretted what had happened and had activated all emergency protocols to work closely with the relevant authorities to manage the situation.
\nThe second train was operated by Renfe, which also did not respond to a request for comment.
\nAdif has suspended all rail services between Madrid and Andalusia. Iryo train had more than 300 passengers on board, while the Renfe train had around 100. Paco Carmona, Cordoba fire chief, told TVE the first train heading to Madrid from Malaga had been evacuated.
\nThe other train\u2019s carriages were badly damaged, he said, with twisted metal and seats. \u201cThere are still people trapped.
\nWe don\u2019t know how many people have died and the operation is concentrating on getting people out of areas which are very narrow,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have to remove the bodies to reach anyone who is still alive. It is proving to be a complicated task.\u201d
\nTransport Minister Oscar Puente said he was following events from rail operator Adif\u2019s headquarters in Madrid. \u201cThe latest information is very serious,\u201d he posted on X. \u201cThe impact was terrible, causing the first two carriages of the Renfe train to be thrown off the track.
\nThe number of victims cannot be confirmed at this time. The most important thing now is to help the victims.\u201d
\nThe mayor of Adamuz, Rafael Moreno, told El Pais newspaper that he had been among the first to arrive at the scene of the accident alongside the local police and saw what he believed to be a badly lacerated body several metres from the accident site.\u201dThe scene is horrific,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t think they were on the same track, but it\u2019s not clear. Now the mayors and residents of the area are focused on helping the passengers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MADRID A high-speed train derailed and smashed into another oncoming train in southern Spain on Sunday, pushing the second train off the tracks in a collision that police sources confirmed to Reuters had killed at least 21 people. The accident happened near Adamuz, in Cordoba province. So far, 21 people have been confirmed dead by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":526613,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-526594","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n