Spain train crash latest: Broken rail track identified as possible cause of collision which killed 39

At least 39 people died in southern Spain after a high-speed train derailed and collided with an oncoming one on Sunday night in one of the worst railway accidents in Europe in the past 80 years.

Twelve were in intensive care after the accident near Adamuz in the province of Cordoba, about 360 km (223 miles) south of Madrid, according to emergency services. Experts studying the crash site say a faulty rail joint may be key to determining the cause of the crash.

The collision occurred in a hilly, olive-growing region which could only be accessed by a single-track road, making it difficult for ambulances to enter and exit, Iñigo Vila, national emergency director at the Spanish Red Cross, told Reuters.

Rail travel is a common, affordable, and convenient mode of transport for many across Europe.

Despite a reported decrease in major railway accidents since 2010, according to the European Union, this catastrophe serves as a grim reminder of how deadly they can be, echoing past incidents across the continent.

Here is a look at some of the most deadly train, tram and subway crashes in Europe in recent years.

French president Emmanuel Macron has shared his condolences with those affected by the Spanish train crash.

“A railway tragedy strikes Andalusia. Thoughts for the victims, their families, and all the Spanish people. France is by your side,” he wrote in a post on X/Twitter.

Two high-speed trains at the centre of the collision in Spain that killed 39 people, were travelling at over 120mph, sources from the Spanish transport ministry told Sky News.

The Iryo train derailed first and was travelling at around 130mph while the second train was moving at approximately 127mph.

The incident took place in less than 30 seconds.

The SEMAF train drivers’ union wrote to the state-owned infrastructure manager in August to caution the operator about potholes, bumps and imbalances in overhead power lines that it said were causing frequent breakdowns and damaging trains.

Drivers had urged the operator to implement a maximum speed of 250kph (155mph) on damaged lines until the state of the network rail was improved.

A source briefed on the initial investigations into the disaster said today that experts had found a broken joint on the rails. Technicians on site identified wear on the joint between sections of the rail, known as a fishplate, which they said showed the fault had been there for some time, the source said.

James C Reynolds reports:

The tail end of a train run by private high-speed rail operator Iryo, travelling from Málaga to Madrid, was derailed and jumped onto an adjacent track, where it smashed into an oncoming Renfe service travelling from Madrid to Huelva, a municipality in Spain. Renfe is Spain’s national state-owned railway company.

Spain has the finest high-speed rail network in Europe. But on Sunday evening, 18 January, dozens of passengers were killed when an Iryo train from Malaga to Madrid derailed and collided with a Renfe Madrid to Huelva express at Adamuz in the southern province of Andalusia.

The tragedy will raise concerns among prospective travellers about the safety of high-speed trains. These are the key questions and answers.

A high-speed passenger train derailed in southern Spain on Sunday evening and struck an oncoming service, forcing the second train off the tracks and down an embankment and killing at least 21 people.

The collision occurred near the town of Adamuz, in Córdoba province, roughly 360km south of Madrid. Emergency services said the crash happened at 7.45pm, around 10 minutes after an Iryo-operated train left Córdoba heading towards the capital.

According to Adif, the state body that manages Spain’s rail infrastructure, the Malaga-to-Madrid Iryo service derailed and crossed onto the neighbouring line, where it hit a Renfe train travelling from Madrid to Huelva. The impact derailed the Renfe service, sending its front carriages down the side of the railway embankment.

Alvaro Gallardo, like many other desperate relatives, took to social media, to try to reach his father – or anyone else who might know his fate.

He posted on X: “We’ve been trying to contact my father since 9 PM; his name is Andrés Gallardo Vaz, he was on the train heading to Huelva. I beg you, if you see him or know anything about him, please let us know.”

Gallardo was still trying to reach him when The Independent spoke to him on Monday.

“We have been going around the hospitals but without any luck. My father was travelling back to Huelva last night. My father is my life,” he said, breaking down.