'We will uncover the truth' says Spain's prime minister after two high-speed trains collide
Spain's Prime Minister has declared three days of national mourning, after the country's worst rail disaster in more than a decade killed at least 42 people. ITV News Reporter Sangita Lal is at the scene
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said his government will 'uncover the truth' after a train collision in southern Spain killed at least 42 people and injured dozens more.
The incident occurred on Sunday when a high-speed train derailed, jumped onto the track in the opposite direction and slammed into an oncoming train.
Speaking during a press conference, Sánchez said: "This is a painful day for all of Spain, for our entire country. And our thoughts go out, in particular, to the victims, to their families."
He went on to say: "We will uncover the truth, we will find out the answers.
"When we know the origin and cause of this tragedy, as we must, we will inform the public via the media with absolute transparency and clarity."
Authorities have warned they expect the death toll to rise after emergency services worked through the night to recover casualties from the wreckage.
The tail end of an evening train travelling from Malaga to Madrid with some 300 passengers came off the rails near Cordoba at 7.45 pm local time and slammed into a train with some 200 passengers coming from Madrid to Huelva, according to rail operator Adif.
The first two carriages of the train travelling to Huelva were thrown down a 4-metre slope. Authorities said the largest number of deaths appears to be from those two carriages.
Andalusia regional president Juanma Moreno said, "It is likely (that there will be more bodies found) when you look at the mass of metal that is there. The firefighters have done a great job, but unfortunately, when they get the heavy machinery to lift the carriages, it is probable we will find more victims."
Spanish police said 159 people were injured, of whom five were in critical condition.
A further 24 were in serious condition, authorities said.
The Spanish Red Cross set up a help centre in the town of Adamuz, near the crash site, offering assistance to emergency services and people seeking information.
Spain’s Transport Minister Oscar Puente said the cause of the crash was unknown, calling it “a truly strange” incident because it happened on a flat stretch of track that had been renovated in May.
He also said the train that jumped the track was less than 4 years old.
That train belonged to the private company Iryo, while the second train, which took the brunt of the impact, was part of Spain’s public train company Renfe.
Iryo issued a statement saying it “deeply lamented what has happened” and that it was working with authorities to manage the situation.
When asked by reporters how long an inquiry into the crash’s cause could take, he said it could be a month.
Salvador Jiménez, a journalist for Spanish broadcaster RTVE, was on board one of the derailed trains and told the network by phone that “there was a moment when it felt like an earthquake and the train had indeed derailed.”
He said passengers used emergency hammers to break the windows, and that some had walked away without serious injuries.
Videos from the scene show people crawling out of windows to escape the wreckage with carriages leaning at an angle.
The regional Civil Protection chief, María Belén Moya Rojas, told Canal Sur the crash happened in an area that is hard to reach.
She added that local people were taking blankets and water to the scene to help the victims.
“Tonight is one of deep sadness for our country,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote on X.
“I want to express my sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones of the victims.”
Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia also expressed their condolences and concern on social media.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a post on X that she was following “the terrible news” from Cordoba.
“Tonight you are in my thoughts,” she wrote in Spanish.
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Spain has the largest high-speed rail network in Europe for trains moving over 250 km/h (155 mph), with more than 3,100 kilometres (1,900 miles) of track, according to the European Union.
The network is a popular, competitively priced and safe mode of transport. Renfe said more than 25 million passengers took one of its high-speed trains in 2024.
Adif said train services between Madrid and cities in Andalusia would not run on Monday.
Spain’s worst train derailment this century occurred in 2013, when 80 people died after a train came off the tracks in the country’s northwest.
An investigation concluded the train was travelling 111 mph on a stretch with a 50mph speed limit when it left the tracks.
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