Death toll from train crash in southern Spain rises to 39 dead

The incident took place when a high-speed train heading from Malaga to Madrid with some 300 passengers went off the rails near Cordoba at 7:45pm (18:45 GMT) on Sunday, and slammed into a train with some 200 passengers coming from the capital to Huelva, another southern city.

The previous death toll stood at 21. Dozens more were injured from the collision, while rescue efforts were still under way on Monday morning.

The cause of the crash on Sunday is not yet known, Spanish Minister of Transport Oscar Puente told reporters at a news conference at Atocha station in Madrid, adding that it was “really strange” that a derailment should have happened on a straight stretch of track. This section of track was renewed in May, he said.

“Thirty injured have been taken to hospitals and are in serious condition,” Puente told reporters on Monday, adding that all the injured have now been evacuated to receive care.

Television Espanola, a public broadcaster, reported that the driver of the train travelling from Madrid to Huelva was among those who died.

Five mobile intensive care units, four emergency critical care units and numerous ambulances were deployed to the site of the crash, according to Andalusia’s emergency services.

The on-site services were focused on stabilising the injured before transferring them to hospitals, Juanma Moreno, the president of Andalusia’s regional government, wrote on social media late on Sunday.

“Our solidarity and support to all those affected,” he added.

Rail operator ADIF personnel were also coordinating with emergency services on the ground.

Ambulances gather at the Puerta de Atocha train station in Madrid, Spain, 18 January 2026 [Javier Lizon/EPA]

Trains suspended

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday said Spain was enduring a “night of deep pain”.

“Today is a night of deep pain for our country owing to the tragic rail accident in Adamuz,” Sanchez wrote on X.

“I want to express my sincerest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims. No word can alleviate such great suffering, but I want them to know that the whole country is by their side in this tough moment,” he added.

Trains travelling from the Andalusia region to Madrid have been suspended, with services from Cordoba, Sevilla, Malaga and Huelva expected to be unavailable through “at least” Monday, the rail body said.

Salvador Jimenez, a journalist for the public broadcaster RTVE, told the digital outlet Informacion that he had been on board the Malaga train.

The train’s last two carriages derailed, he said, with the final carriage turning fully onto its side as it landed on the tracks.

It felt like the train was experiencing an “earthquake” in the moments before the crash, Jimenez said.