Spain is in mourning after a devastating railway disaster on Sunday night that claimed at least 39 lives and injured more than 150 passengers, marking one of the deadliest rail accidents in the country's modern history.
Two high‑speed passenger trains collided and derailed near the small town of Adamuz in the province of Córdoba, southern Spain, after one train left its track and struck an oncoming service on the adjacent line. Emergency services worked through the night amid wreckage and twisted metal, as families awaited news of loved ones.
What happened in the crash?
The tragedy unfolded just before 8 p.m. local time when an Iryo high‑speed train traveling from Málaga to Madrid derailed. Its rear carriages veered onto the track of a Renfe Alvia service heading toward Huelva and crashed into it. The impact forced several carriages of the Alvia train down a steep embankment.
Both trains were traveling within speed limits (far from the excessive speeds that have caused past disasters) and authorities reported the section of track had recently been renovated and the Iryo train inspected in the last few years.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente said the investigation will take "weeks, if not longer," and has not yet ruled on the potential mechanical or infrastructure failures that may have triggered the derailment. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez canceled engagements in Madrid, visited the region, and declared a period of national mourning for the victims.
Spain's rail network: A success story?
Spain's rail system is one of the most extensive and admired in Europe, especially its high‑speed network (Alta Velocidad Española, AVE). With more than 3,100 km of high‑speed track (the largest in Europe) the network connects major cities from the southern tip near Cádiz to the French border in the northeast.
High‑speed travel has become a preferred alternative to flying for many Spaniards. Millions of passengers ride AVE trains annually, with safety measures that include advanced signaling, rigorous inspections, and multiple redundant systems designed to prevent collisions.
Yet even with advanced technology and a strong safety record, Spain has not been immune to rail disasters, especially in earlier decades and before the full expansion of modern high‑speed infrastructure.
A history of tragedies on Spanish rails
While Spain's railways are today known for their speed and safety, the country has faced several tragic accidents over the decades. One of the earliest and deadliest occurred in Torre del Bierzo in 1944, when a collision inside a tunnel in León killed well over 100 passengers.
More than half a century later, though it occurred on a conventional line, in Chinchilla de Montearagón in 2003, a passenger train collided with a freight service in Albacete province, killing 19 and injuring dozens.
Spain's experience with high-speed rail disasters, however, began with the 2013 derailment at Angrois, Santiago de Compostela, the deadliest incident in the country's modern rail history. An Alvia train traveling from Madrid to Ferrol derailed on a sharp curve at nearly 190 km/h, far above the 80 km/h limit, killing 79 passengers and injuring more than 140.
The recent collision near Adamuz in Córdoba in 2026 is now part of this tragic history. Two high-speed trains collided after one derailed onto the opposite track, leaving at least 39 dead and more than 150 injured. Unlike previous disasters, both trains were operating within speed limits on recently renovated track, and, for now, authorities continue investigating the cause of the accident...