A derailed high-speed train in southern Spain collided with another, killing at least 21 people and injuring more than 70 others.
ADAMUZ: A collision between two high-speed trains in southern Spain has killed at least 21 people and injured more than 70.
The disaster occurred on Sunday near Adamuz in the province of Cordoba when a train from Malaga to Madrid derailed and crossed onto the opposite track.
It then struck an oncoming train, which also derailed, according to Spain’s Adif rail body.
A police spokesman initially reported five fatalities before updating the death toll to 21.
Andalusia’s top emergencies official, Antonio Sanz, confirmed at least 73 people were injured in the crash.
Spanish media reported the number of injured could reach 100, with passengers trapped inside twisted carriages.
“The problem is that the carriages are twisted, so the metal is twisted with the people inside,” said Francisco Carmona, head of Cordoba’s firefighters.
“We have even had to remove a dead person to be able to reach someone alive. It is hard, tricky work.”
One witness described a carriage from the first train as having completely overturned.
A journalist travelling on one of the trains said the impact felt like “an earthquake”.
Passengers used emergency hammers to break windows and escape the wreckage.
Lucas Meriako, a passenger on the derailed train, said the scene “looks like a horror movie”.
“We felt a very strong hit from behind and the feeling that the whole train was about to collapse, break… there were many injured due to the glass,” he told La Sexta television.
Reports suggest approximately 400 people were on the two trains at the time of the collision.
Adif announced high-speed services between Madrid and several Andalusian cities would be suspended for all of Monday at least.
The rail operator has set up assistance spaces at stations in Madrid, Seville, Cordoba, Malaga and Huelva for relatives of victims.
Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia said they were following the news “with great concern”.
They offered condolences to the families of the deceased and wished the injured a swift recovery.
Spain operates Europe’s largest high-speed rail network, spanning more than 3,000 kilometres.
