Death toll reaches 39 after high-speed train collision near Córdoba

Spanish police said Monday that at least 39 people died after a high-speed train collision near the municipality of Adamuz in Córdoba province in southern Spain, and rescue efforts were continuing.

The collision occurred when the tail end of an Iryo train travelling between Malaga and Madrid with some 300 passengers went off the rails at 7:45pm local time (6.45pm GMT) and slammed into a train from Madrid to Huelva operated by state rail company Renfe. That train also derailed and went down an embankment; it is not clear how many were on board. Andalusia regional president Juanma Moreno said 75 passengers had been taken to hospital.

Transport minister Oscar Puente said the death toll "has already reached 39 and is not definitive. I want to express my deepest gratitude for the tremendous work of the rescue teams throughout the night, under very difficult circumstances," and indicated it could rise from the current figure of 39. Rescue operations were still under way on Monday morning.

Key Topics

World, Iryo, Renfe, Adamuz, Córdoba Province, Juanma Moreno