Spain: 40 dead in high speed train collision
Emergency services working next to one of the trains involved in the collision (via Reuters)
At least 40 people died in Spain’s Adamuz, part of Cordoba province, when a high-speed train derailed and collided with another oncoming train in one of the country’s deadliest train collisions since 2013, according to Reuters on January 19th.
About 122 people were left injured, and 12 were in intensive care, according to emergency services. The train that derailed was running from Malaga to Madrid, with a total of 400 passengers on both trains combined.
The cause of the derailment is still under investigation, while experts say that a faulty rail joint could be the reason. Drone footage revealed that the trains had rested about 500 metres apart, with the carriage of one train split in two, and one part crushed like a tin can.
There have also been reports of 43 missing people filed at police headquarters, with the police in Cordoba opening an office for people to provide DNA to identify the deceased. The Spanish Red Cross reportedly said that, as the train collision had occurred in hilly terrain, the place was not readily accessible for emergency services to reach the area.
The train that derailed was operated by private consortium Iryo, and the oncoming train was the state-owned Renfe. Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente called the accident “tremendously strange”, citing that the railway track was completely renovated with an investment of 700 million euros ($813.5 million) last year.
The train drivers’ union SEMAF had reportedly warned the state-owned rail infrastructure administrator previously about the deteriorating condition of the collision site. In a letter addressed to the authorities in August 2025, it said potholes, uneven surfaces, and imbalances in overhead power lines were leading to frequent service disruptions and damage to the trains, and cautioned for stricter speed limits.
According to Reuters’ review of X, the Adamuz line’s infrastructure problems were signalled to the infrastructure administrator at least 10 times since 2022.
The Iryo train was moving at 110kph, whereas the Renfe train was moving at 200kph, with a 20-second interval between the derailment and impact, leaving barely any time to activate the automatic braking system.
A resident of Adamuz who assisted in saving the survivors shared her horrifying account, saying that her husband “found a dead child inside, another child calling for his mother. You’re never ready to see something like this.”
As Spain prepares for the World Cup alongside Morocco and Portugal in 2030, Spain’s high-speed rail network is a key transport network that will facilitate connectivity during the tournament. Although more ambitious transport projects like the Spain-Morocco underwater rail link under the Strait of Gibraltar were pitched as part of the 2030 World Cup mobility, experts believe it will not be ready in time.
Reuters, Maghrebi.org
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