At least 39 people are now reported dead in connection with a high-speed rail collision in Spain, police announced via the Associated Press on Monday (January 19).
A train between Malaga and Madrid jumped onto the track in the opposite direction and hit an oncoming train traveling from Madrid to Huelva, knocking the second train’s lead carriages off the track and plummeting down a 13-foot slope. Several bodies were reportedly found hundreds of feet away from where the trains collided.
Antonio Sanz, the regional health minister for the Andalusia province where the collision occurred, previously said officials feared that the death toll would rise above the 20 initially reported. A total 73 passengers were taken to hospitals for injuries sustained in the crash, according to Sanz, who said rescue efforts were ongoing.
María Belén Moya Rojas, who serves as the civil protection chief in the region, told Canal Sur that the accident occurred in an area that is difficult to reach. Locals were seen taking blankets and water to the scene in an effort to help victims, Rojas said. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed that she was following “the terrible news” from Cordoba in a post shared on her X account.
“I receive the terrible news from Córdoba. My deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims of the railway accident and to the Spanish people. I wish the injured a swift and full recovery. Tonight you are in my thoughts,” von der Leyen said.
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