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At least 39 people have been killed and around 400 injured, dozens of them critically, after two high-speed trains derailed on Sunday evening, January 18, in the town of Adamuz, in the southern Spanish province of Córdoba.

 

The crash, which occurred shortly before 7.40pm, has led to the complete suspension of rail services between Madrid and several key destinations in Andalucía, affecting thousands of passengers.

 

According to Adif, Spain’s rail infrastructure manager, the incident involved an Iryo high-speed train travelling from Málaga to Madrid and a Renfe Alvia service running from Madrid to Huelva.

 

The Iryo 6189 train derailed on the sidings leading to track 1 in Adamuz and crossed onto an adjacent line. At that moment, the Renfe Alvia 2384 was travelling on the same track and also derailed following the impact.

 

Transport Minister Óscar Puente described the severity of the crash in a message posted on X, stating: “The impact was terrible, causing the first two cars of the Renfe train to be thrown off the track.”

 

Among the confirmed fatalities are three passengers from the Alvia train. Sources from the Ministry of Transport have also confirmed that one of the deceased was a train driver.

 

Two other victims were travelling on the Iryo train, which was carrying a total of 317 passengers at the time of the accident.

 

The collision caused the last three carriages of the Iryo train to overturn, trapping several passengers inside. According to eyewitness accounts, some people were forced to break windows using emergency hammers in order to escape.

 

One employee of Spanish National Radio broadcaster RNE, who was on board the Iryo train at the time, told the 24-hour news channel that the derailment felt “like an earthquake.” He also reported that train crew members appealed over the public address system for medical professionals among the passengers and began evacuating people through the windows.

 

Emergency services responded rapidly, with a large-scale operation launched by the Andalusian regional government. The emergency phase of the Andalusian Civil Protection Territorial Emergency Plan was activated, mobilising dozens of medical units, ambulances, fire engines, police vehicles and support teams.

 

An Advanced Medical Post was set up in an Adif technical building, where injured passengers are being triaged, treated and stabilised before transfer to hospital.

 

Patients with minor injuries have been taken to the Adamuz sports centre, while the Civil Guard has closed access to the town to allow ambulances to move freely. Local residents have also arrived to offer blankets and water to those affected.

 

Hospitals in Córdoba, Jaén and Seville have been placed on alert, and blood supplies are being redistributed as a precaution.

 

Further support has come from outside the region. The Community of Madrid has offered hospital resources and emergency medical teams, while Samur-Civil Protection has deployed staff to Madrid’s Atocha station to assist relatives, including a psychologist and a basic ambulance.

 

As a result of the derailment, all trains on the Madrid–Andalucía line were returned to their points of origin. Atocha train station in Madrid, as well as those in Córdoba and Seville, will all remain open overnight; Málaga station is not expected to do so. Adif has confirmed that high-speed rail services between Madrid and Córdoba, Seville, Málaga and Huelva will remain suspended throughout Monday January 19.

 

The exact cause of the accident remains unknown. Railway sector sources have expressed surprise, noting that the crash occurred on a straight stretch of track.

 

“It’s very strange, and we don’t yet know what could have happened,” they said. Investigations are under way as Spain mourns one of its deadliest rail incidents in recent years.

 

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, has cancelled his public schedule for this Monday.