Adamuz: At least 21 people were killed and about 100 others injured when a high-speed train derailed and collided with an oncoming service near the town of Adamuz in southern Spain on the evening of January 18, police and state media reported.
The crash happened in Córdoba province and involved an Iryo high-speed train travelling from Málaga to Madrid and a Renfe-operated train heading from Madrid to Huelva. Reuters cited police confirmation of the death toll, while Spain’s state broadcaster RTVE said at least 25 of the injured were in serious condition.
The driver of the Renfe-operated train was among those who lost their lives, according to sources. Spain’s rail infrastructure manager, Adif, said the collision occurred at around 6:40 pm local time, about 10 minutes after the Iryo train had departed Córdoba for Madrid.
In a statement posted on social media, Adif said the Iryo 6189 Málaga–Madrid service derailed near Adamuz and crossed onto an adjacent track. The Madrid–Huelva high-speed train travelling on that line also derailed as a result of the impact. The Iryo train was carrying more than 300 passengers, while around 100 people were on board the Renfe service.
Emergency responders, including firefighters, police, paramedics and the Red Cross, were dispatched to the remote crash site, where rescue efforts continued through the night. Several passengers remained trapped inside heavily damaged carriages for hours.
Córdoba’s fire chief, Paco Carmona, told TVE that all passengers on the Iryo train had been evacuated, but said conditions inside the Renfe carriages were significantly worse. “There are still people trapped. We don’t know how many people have died,” he said. “We have to remove bodies to reach anyone who may still be alive. It is proving to be a very complicated operation.”
Hospitals in Madrid and Andalusia were placed on alert, and a reception centre was established in Adamuz, a town of about 5,000 people. As temperatures dropped overnight, local volunteers brought food, blankets and hot drinks to support those affected.
Train operators respond
Iryo, a private rail operator majority-owned by the Italian state-controlled railway group Ferrovie dello Stato, confirmed that the train involved was a Frecciarossa 1000 model. In a statement, the company expressed that it “deeply regretted the incident” and said it had activated all emergency protocols to cooperate with authorities.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente said he was closely monitoring the situation from Adif’s headquarters in Madrid. “The latest information is very serious,” Puente wrote on X. “The impact was devastating, with the first two carriages of the Renfe train thrown off the track. The most important thing now is to support the victims.”
Passengers describe horrific scenes
Survivors recounted violent shaking, pitch-black carriages, and moments of panic following the derailment.
A passenger named Carmen shared on X that the Iryo train began shaking violently just minutes after leaving Córdoba. “The lights went out, and the train derailed behind us,” she said.
Videos shared on social media showed staff urging passengers to stay seated in the darkened carriages and asking anyone with medical training to help those in need. In the wake of the crash, all high-speed rail services between Madrid and Andalusia were suspended, with trains either cancelled or rerouted as a precaution.
