The fatalities from Sunday night’s catastrophic train collision in southern Spain have climbed to 39, with at least 152 individuals sustaining injuries, as confirmed by Spanish police sources to the state broadcaster RTVE on Monday.
The disastrous incident occurred at 7:45pm local time (1845 GMT) near the area of Adamuz in the province of Cordoba, around 360 kilometers south of the nation’s capital, Madrid.
In the aftermath, rail services across the region have been severely disrupted. RTVE reported that throughout Monday, over 200 scheduled train services connecting Madrid and the Andalusia region – serving major urban centers including Cordoba, Seville, and Granada – have been cancelled.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has cancelled all his scheduled engagements for the day in response to the tragedy, his office announced in a formal statement on Monday.
Disturbing footage from the accident site, circulated on social media platforms, depicted emergency crews working under floodlights to extract passengers from severely mangled and overturned carriages.
Numerous passengers were seen escaping through shattered windows, while many others required evacuation on stretchers.
Official estimates indicate that roughly 400 passengers were aboard the two trains at the time of the collision. The majority are believed to be Spanish citizens returning to or from Madrid following the weekend.
As January is not a peak tourist period in Spain, it remains unclear how many foreign visitors were among the passengers.
The precise cause of the crash is yet to be determined. Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente addressed the media on Sunday, stating, “The cause for the crash is not yet known.” He made this declaration during a press conference held at Madrid’s Atocha station.
