The death toll from a severe train accident in Spain continues to rise as recovery efforts proceed. The Operative Information Center-OMM, citing the country's Emergency Services Center, reports that the number of fatalities in the crash near the town of Adamuz has reached 40 people.
Currently, 41 injured individuals are receiving treatment in hospitals, with 12 reported to be in critical condition in intensive care units. A total of 122 people received initial medical assistance, including five children. Specialists from the Civil Guard Criminology Department have been deployed to assist in the identification of the victims.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez canceled his scheduled program to visit the crash site, declaring three days of national mourning across the country. "This is a day of great sadness. The state is acting in a coordinated and committed manner. We will investigate how this accident happened. Time and the work of experts will provide us with answers. We will uncover the truth and inform the public with full transparency," Sanchez stated. Transport Minister Oscar Puente described the incident as "extremely strange," noting that the train was new, the tracks had been recently renovated, and the derailment occurred on a straight section of the line. Preliminary assessments suggest a technical fault in the tracks may have caused the disaster.
The accident occurred when the last three carriages of a high-speed train traveling from Malaga to Madrid, carrying 317 passengers, derailed. Just 20 seconds later, another train carrying 100 passengers traveling in the opposite direction collided with the derailed carriages. This tragedy ranks among the most significant rail disasters in recent European history, prompting a comprehensive safety review of the regional rail infrastructure. Spain’s high-speed rail network, known as the AVE, is generally considered one of the safest and most advanced in the world, making the technical failure on a renovated line a matter of urgent national investigation.
