MADRID: In a catastrophic rail disaster, at least 21 people were killed and more than 100 injured on Wednesday after two trains collided in the Andalusia region of southern Spain. The incident, one of the country’s deadliest in decades, involved a high-speed service and another passenger train.
According to reports from emergency services and international news agencies, the high-speed train, traveling from Madrid to Huelva, derailed for reasons under investigation. It then collided with a train coming from the opposite direction on an adjacent track, causing the second train to also derail. The force of the impact left both trains severely damaged, with several carriages crumpled and overturned.
Rescue workers, including firefighters and medical personnel, worked for hours under spotlights to extract passengers from the wreckage near the town of Castro del Río. Authorities confirmed 21 fatalities. Of the more than 100 people injured, at least 21 are reported to be in critical condition. The driver of the Madrid-Huelva train was among those killed. Initial reports suggest over 300 passengers were on board the high-speed train, with approximately 100 on the other service at the time of the crash.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed his condolences, stating he was closely monitoring the situation and traveling to the accident site. Train operations on the affected lines have been temporarily suspended indefinitely. A high-level investigation has been launched by rail authorities to determine the precise cause of the derailment and subsequent collision, with a focus on track conditions, signaling systems, and train operations.
