At least ten people have died in the extremely serious railway accident that occurred in the afternoon in Adamuz, in the province of Córdoba, Andalusia. Two high-speed trains derailed and collided along the line connecting Madrid with southern Spain, resulting in one of the most dramatic rail disasters the country has seen in recent years.
According to regional emergency services, around one hundred people were injured, 25 of whom are in critical condition. The death toll is still provisional and could rise in the coming hours.
Reconstruction of the accident
The first details about the dynamics of the crash were provided by Adif, Spain’s railway infrastructure manager. A train operated by Iryo, traveling from Málaga to Madrid, reportedly derailed near the switches leading to track 1 at Adamuz station. The train then crossed onto the parallel line, colliding with a second train bound for Huelva, which in turn also left the tracks.
The impact was extremely violent: several carriages overturned, trapping numerous passengers inside. Firefighters and rescue teams worked for hours to free the injured who were stuck among the twisted metal.
“It felt like an earthquake”
Among the witnesses was Salvador Jiménez, a journalist for RNE, who was on board the train that departed from Málaga. “All of a sudden, it was like experiencing an earthquake,” he said. “The last two carriages derailed, and one of them completely overturned.”
According to his account, onboard staff immediately asked for help from passengers with medical training and used emergency hammers to break the windows and allow evacuation.
Rail traffic suspended and government mobilized
Following the accident, high-speed rail traffic between Madrid and Andalusia was suspended, causing severe disruption for thousands of travelers. The rest of the railway network continues to operate normally.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente described the impact as “devastating” and traveled to the Renfe H24 operations center at Madrid’s Puerta de Atocha station to closely monitor the emergency. Italy’s Foreign Ministry is also following the situation to verify whether any Italian citizens were involved.
Investigation into the causes
Spanish authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the derailment. Among the hypotheses being considered is a possible malfunction of the track switches, but further checks will be required. A tragedy that once again brings the issue of high-speed rail safety in Europe into sharp focus.
