Spain train crash UPDATES as 39 killed and passengers still missing
At least 39 people have been killed and 170 are injured after a high-speed train derailed in Adamuz, Spain, encroaching on the adjacent track and colliding with another oncoming train
by Paige Ingram, Zahra Khaliq, Rachel Vickers-Price · The MirrorA train crash in Spain has killed at least 39 people and injured 170 others, with the death toll expected to continue to rise.
The high-speed train derailed late on Sunday in the town at Adamuz, Andalusia, encroaching on the adjacent track and colliding with another oncoming train, which also left the track. Reports indicate that there were around 300 people on one train and a further 186-or so on the other.
Emergency services confirmed 39 people have died while 170 are injured and 75 are in hospital. Fifteen of those in hospital are seriously injured, four of whom are children.
Some passengers are still unaccounted for, as emergency services continue to work at the scene.
Andalusian president Moreno Bonilla said first responders raced to free passengers from little more than a "twisted wreck" as he said the circumstances are "complex".
13:58KEY EVENT
Missing crash victims pictured
Friends and families of missing crash victims have made desperate pleas for information in the hopes that their loved-ones will be found.
Miriam del Rosario Alberico Larios, 27, was travelling on one of the trains that crashed and remains missing.
Her family said in a post on X: "We are still searching for a family member who was traveling alone in car 1 of the Alvia. Her name is Miriam del Rosario Alberico Larios, she is 27 years old, and from what I know, she was wearing green corduroy pants and was on the Alvia 2384 heading to Huelva. Please share!"
Ricardo Chamorro Caliz, 57, was travelling on the Renfe service from Madrid to Huelva, but remains missing. His son wrote on X: "URGENT! Please, anyone in Adamuz who recognizes this man, who is my father, contact me please He was on the Alvia Madrid-Huelva that has crashed Please share!!"
A family of fpur from Huelva are among the missing. They are Felix Zamorano, Pepe Zamorano, Cristina Alvarez and Pepe Zamorano (son).
13:58KEY EVENT
Spain's PM: 'We will get to the truth'
Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, is currently speaking at a news conference close to the crash site.
"Today is a very painful day for all of us [...] I would like to offer you... the warmest embrace from all of us," Sanchez said. He promised "full transparency" in getting to the bottom of what caused the crash. "We will get to the truth, we will find the answers," he said.
Sanchez added there will be three days of mourning - from midnight until Thursday.
13:58Zahra Khaliq
Five more victims discharged from hospital
Five more crash victims have been discharged from hospital, Andalusia's emergency services have said.
It means 79 people have now been discharged while 43 remain in hospital. Twelve are in intensive care. The death toll currently sits at 39, although this is expected to rise, authorities say.
13:58Zahra Khaliq
Families of missing victims asked to contact Civil Guard
The families of missing passengers have been asked to contact the Civil Guard.
Authorities said they have opened up three offices - in Huelva, Malaga, and Madrid - for loved-ones to file reports and DNA samples to identify victims.
13:58Zahra Khaliq
Trains were 'traveling at over 120mph'
The two trains were thought to be travelling at over 120mph when they collided on Sunday night.
Sources from the Spanish transport ministry told Sky News that crash happened in less than 30 seconds, with the Iryo train derailing first and going at around 130mph, while the second train was travelling at around 127mph.
13:58Zahra Khaliq
Passengers flee wreck through broken windows
Passengers on board a train at the centre of a crash that killed dozens in Spain have described the moment rescuers smashed through windows with axes to help them flee the mangled wreckage.
At least 39 people were killed and a further 170 were injured after the high-speed train, bound for Madrid, derailed onto the opposite tracks and smashed into another oncoming train in Adamuz on Sunday night.
Images taken in the aftermath of the crash showed carriages reduced to rubble as rescue teams were forced to take extreme measures to help injured people to safety. Witnesses told how they were flung from their seats and plunged into darkness as harrowing screams rung out amid the chaos.
Full story: Passengers flee wreck through broken windows
13:58Zahra Khaliq
Rescue efforts to recover victims is ongoing
Rescue crews are still working at the scene to recover all the victims from the wreckage, Spanish outlet RTVE has reported.
The Andalusian Regional Government's Health Authority said "rescue teams have reached the third carriage" of the Alvia train, adding they believe there is "an undetermined number of fatalities, a figure that could be high".
13:58Zahra Khaliq
'Devastated' Spanish minister travels to crash site
Spain's transport minister is travelling to the scene of the crash in Adamuz. Ministry sources say he is "shocked and devastated".
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has meanwhile suspended all of his scheduled events today.
13:58Zahra Khaliq
Health ministry calls for 'essential' blood donations
Andalucia's regional health ministry has said there are currently enough blood reserves to treat those wounded in Sunday's crash - but authorities have taken to social media to encourage more donations, which they say are "essential to anticipate the needs of the coming days".
13:58Zahra Khaliq
'Too early' to know cause of derailment
The president of Spain's national railway company Renfe said it is "too early" to know why the trains derailed in Adamuz on Sunday night.
Alvaro Fernandez Heredia told Spain's state broadcaster that the crash was unusual because the train was travelling along a straight section of the track at the time, with active safety systems.
"We already know from the speed records that the trains were traveling at a speed lower than that assigned to the section," he said. He suggested the accident may have been triggered by "some issue with the rolling stock or the infrastructure".
13:58Zahra Khaliq
Spain's transport minister: 'The death toll is not final'
Spain's transport minister has warned that the death toll from Sunday night's crash is expected to rise.
In a message posted on X, Oscar Puente sent his condolences to the victims and their families, and thanked emergency crews for their efforts in rescuing surviving passengers.
"The death toll has already reached 39, and is not final,” Puente wrote. "I want to express all my gratitude for the huge effort of the rescue teams during the night, under very difficult circumstances, and my condolences to the victims and their families in these terribly painful moments."
13:58Zahra Khaliq
At least 122 people treated for injuries
Emergency services say 48 people who were wounded in the crash have now been discharged from hospital.
Remaining patients include five children, 11 adults and one child who is still in intensive care. At least 122 people have received treatment overall, and 74 of them have been discharged.
13:58Zahra Khaliq
Train involved in crash was inspected four days ago
The Iyro train at the centre of the horror crash was last inspected four days ago, parent company Trenitalia has told Sky News. Sources from Spain's Interior Ministry told the broadcaster prosecutors are now awaiting a police report before a criminal investigation can be launched.
13:58Zahra Khaliq
Impact felt like an 'earthquake'
A passenger onboard one of the trains said the impact of the crash felt like an "earthquake".
Salvador Jimenez, a journalist with RTVE, was in the first carriage when the train was struck. "I was in the first carriage. There was a moment when it felt like an earthquake and the train had indeed derailed," Jimenez said.
13:58Zahra Khaliq
Injured taken to makeshift treatment centre
A number of those injured have been transported to a makeshift hospital in the sports centre in Adamuz.
At least 39 people have died as a result of the crash, while a further 170 have been injured and 75 have been hospitalised. Four children are understood to be critical, according to the latest figures.
13:58Zahra Khaliq
Italy 'stands close to Spain in its grief'
Italy's prime minister has spoken of her "great sadness" following the crash.
"Italy stands close to Spain in its grief for this tragedy," Giorgia Meloni said. "Our thoughts go out to the victims, the injured and their families."
13:58KEY EVENT
Death toll spikes with 39 dead, 170 injured after Spain double train derail
The death toll has jumped after two high speed trains derailed overnight in Spain.
Current toll: 39 dead, a further 170 injured and 75 have been hospitalised. Four children are understood to be critical.
The catastrophic twin derailment came just before 8pm on Sunday, with a a high speed train derailing near the Andalusian town of Adamu. The locomotive was travelling from Malaga to Madrid with 300-or so people on board. It careered off its track and ran headlong into another train, which also derailed, as per Spanish rail operator ADIF.
13:58Paige Ingram
Terrified trian passengers say impact 'felt like an earthquake'
Salvador Jimïnez, a journalist for Spanish broadcaster RTVE, was on board one of the derailed trains during the horror crash. He recalled: "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.
Maria San José, 33, a passenger on the Malaga-to-Madrid high-speed train that first derailed, said that there are many injured. “I am still trembling," she told El Pais.
13:58Paige Ingram
Spain's worst train accident this century occurred in 2013
Spain's worst train accident this century occurred in 2013. It left 80 people dead after a train derailed in the country's northwest. An investigation concluded the train was traveling 179kmph (111 mph) on a stretch of track with an 80kmph (50 mph) speed limit when it left the tracks.
13:58KEY EVENT
Train operator issues major update
Spain's high-speed rail operator, iryo, has issued a major update after two high-speed trains derailed yesterday evening. For several hours emergency services have been working tirelessly at the scene to locate and rescue the injured passengers.
13:58Olivia Beeson
300 passengers on train that derailed
The operator of the high-speed train that derailed has said that the vehicle was carrying around 300 passengers at the time of the incident. The train came off the tracks at 7.45pm local time according to rail operator Adif, only ten minutes after the train left Cordoba.
The second train was part of Spain's public train company Renfe and took the brunt of the impact. Renfe have not said how many passengers the train was carrying.
13:58Rachel Vickers-Price
Authorities seem to prepare for the worst as another official issues fresh warning on death toll spike
Regional health and emergencies minister Antonio Sanz has warned that the death toll is set to rise as both it and injury numbers are provisional figures. Sanz is the third official to issue the same warning about an oncoming increase to the death toll.
Spanish Minister of Transport Óscar Puente and Andalusian president Moreno Bonilla have both said essentially the same thing earlier in the night, as authorities appear fear the worst as search and rescue efforts continue.
Sanz added that the rescue operation is "very complex" with access to some carriages hampered. Three have plunged down a four-metre embankment, making a difficult recovery process even tougher on rescuers as they battle on rescuing survivors.
Specialist teams from the surrounding regions are also being sent in to help. Additional firefighters, paramedics, search and rescue, specialist medical, forensic scientists, psychologists, and more have all been tasked to assist at the mass casualty event, coming from surrounding parts of Spain.
Fire crews already at the scene are having to sift through the dead to reach the trapped yet still living, Córdoba Fire Consortium director Francisco Carmona told the press.
It would seem first responders aren't alone in their efforts to assist survivors. Spanish emergency service 112 has issued a statement to ask members of the public to stop attempting to join or interfere with rescue missions.
"Emergency services are the only ones authorised to be in the area of the Adamuz train accident. No public assistance has been requested for emergency operations," the spokesperson said.
The 112 spokesperson added that unnecessary crowds make it harder to "ensure the passage of emergency vehicles".
13:58KEY EVENT
Death roll rises to 24 with train driver among the dead
The death toll has now risen from 21 to 24, Spanish newspaper Cadena SER writes. The regional media outlet quoted unnamed emergency operators as it said three more bodies have now been uncovered by rescue teams.
It is understood that one of the bodies has been identified as one of the train drivers, but The Mirror has been unable to confirm these reports and the incident remains ongoing.
Emergency crews are working into the night as the rescue and recovery mission continues, with crews hoping to find survivors who may still be alive, yet trapped.
In total so far at least 24 deaths have been reported, with 15 people suffering critical injuries, 30 people with serious injuries, and 170 with minor injuries. Authorities are yet to confirm the number of people missing.
13:58Rachel Vickers-Price
President gives gloomy death toll prediction, says train derailment will claim more than 21 lives tonight
Andalusian president Moreno Bonilla has revealed that first responders raced to free passengers from little more than a "twisted wreck", with the train carriages left crumpled and "in a deplorable state" after the catastrophic collision in Córdoba.
While the death toll sits at 21, it is expected to rise throughout the night as the complex recovery mission begins. Moreno warned fellow Spaniards ,to prepare for a long night ahead that is likely to be full of bad news. He said tonight’s disaster was "a very serious accident that will leave more than 20 dead.”
"The circumstances are complex and difficult,” he said, adding context by saying: “Heavy machinery needs to be used to see if there are any bodies and how many."
13:58Rachel Vickers-Price
Mass emergency response initiated as Spain rocked by double rail disaster
The Andalusian Regional Government confirmed this evening that it has engaged its emergency health response after the two trains derailed in Adamu on Sunday.
According to regional sources, blood stores have also been redistributed across the transfusion network to provide additional supplies to Córdoba and Jaén in order to treat the injured. Andújar Hospital in Jaén and Seville’s Virgen del Rocío Hospital have also been placed on alert and had resources ready to go in“permanent coordination” in case of any hospital transfers.
Earlier on Sunday, Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported that a raft of first responders were called to take part in a mass coordinated emergency health response. Units dispatched to the scene included four critical care units, six mobile intensive care units (ICU) from the 061 emergency service, two critical transport ICUs, two logistics support vehicles, three conventional ambulances, five scheduled transport ambulances and two Red Cross ambulances.
13:58Rachel Vickers-Price
Spanish Transport Minister reveals what authorities know so far
Spain's Minister of Transport Óscar Puente has addressed his country in the wake of Sunday's double train crash in Adamuz.
Puente confirmed in a televised address that all passengers have now been extricated from the twin wreckages.All those who were injured have been transported to nearby hospitals for treatment, he added.
The death toll currently sits at 21. It may continue to rise, Puente said, before recounting Sunday's horrific chain of events as they unfolded.
Spain's Transport Minister confirmed that the last few carriages of the Iryo-run train, which had been hurtling towards the nation's capital of Madrid, had derailed and "with the misfortune that at that moment an Alvia [train was] travelling towards [the port city of Huelva. It was] travelling parallel to it and in the opposite direction."
"The first two carriages of the Alvia train were derailed, and that caused most of the fatalities and injuries," he said.
He then emphasised the mind-boggling bad timing of the derailment, adding: "If there hadn't been a train travelling in the opposite direction at that moment, we probably wouldn't even be talking about injuries."
He said authorities still do not know what caused the initial derailment and subsequent crash, adding that the incident was "very strange" crash.
Andalusian president Juanma Moreno confirmed earlier this evening that 75 people have been hospitalised, with 15 of them classed as being in a critical or serious condition.
13:58Paige Ingram
Spain's prime minister shares 'deep pain' in message of support
Taking to X Pedro Sánchez, Spain's prime minister, has shared a message to the familes and loved ones of the victims, the message of support reads: "Tonight is a night of deep pain for our country due to the tragic railway accident in Adamuz. I want to express my most sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims. No words can alleviate such immense suffering, but I want them to know that the entire country stands with them in this extremely difficult moment. All emergency services are working in a coordinated manner without rest."
13:58Paige Ingram
High-speed services suspended until Tuesday
A spokesperson for ADIF wrote on X: "We are working in coordination with emergency services and railway companies regarding the accident that has taken place in Adamuz (Córdoba).
"High-speed services between Madrid and Córdoba, Sevilla, Málaga, Granada and Huelva will remain suspended, at least, throughout Monday 19 January. Services between Madrid and Cádiz, Algeciras and Granada will also be affected.
"Tonight, the stations of Madrid Puerta de Atocha, Córdoba Julio Anguita and Sevilla Santa Justa will remain open.
"Adif and @Renfe are providing spaces at Atocha, Sevilla, Córdoba, Málaga and Huelva stations to assist relatives of the victims who may need support. @iryo_eu has also set up spaces at Atocha, Sevilla and Córdoba."
13:58Paige Ingram
Photos from the scene
13:58KEY EVENT
Officials confirm at least 21 people killed
According to the interior ministry 21 people are now reported to have died in a train derailment in Spain after a train travelling from Malaga to Madrid with 317 people on board derailed.
More than 100 people are injured, according to Spanish media.