Spanish police said on Monday that at least 39 people were killed after two high-speed trains collided in southern Spain, with rescue operations continuing through the night.
The crash occurred at about 7.45pm on Sunday near the town of Adamuz in the province of Cordoba, around 360km south of Madrid. One of the trains derailed, crossed onto the opposite track and slammed into an oncoming service.
Emergency teams worked overnight to search the wreckage for survivors. Dozens were injured, with state broadcaster RTVE citing police sources as saying 152 people were hurt.
Members of Spain’s civil guard and civil defence remained at the scene throughout the night, while the Red Cross opened a support centre in Adamuz to assist emergency workers and relatives.
There were around 400 passengers on board the two trains, most of them Spaniards travelling to and from Madrid after the weekend. It remains unclear how many tourists were among them.
More than 200 train services between Madrid and the southern Andalucia region were cancelled on Monday.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez cleared his agenda for the day following the crash.
Transport Minister Oscar Puente described the scene as “very grave” and said the first two wagons of the second train were thrown off the tracks. He stressed that the cause of the crash remains unknown.
Puente noted that the accident occurred on a straight section of track renovated in May at a cost of €700 million and that the train involved had been in service for just four years.
Adamuz mayor Rafael Moreno described the scene as “horrific”.
Spain’s last major rail disaster occurred in 2013 when a high-speed train derailed, killing 79 people and injuring 179 others.
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