A high-speed train derailed and slammed into an oncoming train in southern Spain on Sunday evening, killing at least 39 people and injuring 170 others.
The tail end of an evening train from Malaga to Madrid jumped the tracks at 7:45pm. The train carried approximately 300 passengers and crashed into an oncoming train traveling from Madrid to Huelva with 200 passengers on board. Emergency services hospitalized 75 people, including 15 seriously injured, among them four children.
Journalist Salvador Jimenez, who was on board one of the derailed trains, described the moment of impact to RTVE by phone: "There was a moment when it felt like an earthquake and the train had indeed derailed." Passengers used emergency hammers to break windows and escape from carriages leaning at sharp angles.
A puzzling incident
Spain's transport minister, Oscar Puente, called the crash "a truly strange" event. The cause remains unknown. The derailment occurred on a flat stretch of track that authorities renovated in May, and the train that jumped the rails was less than four years old.
Emergency crews continued working to remove bodies from the wreckage. The Spanish Red Cross established a help center in Adamuz near the crash site to assist emergency services and provide information to the public.
Videos from the scene show passengers crawling through broken windows to safety. Some walked away without serious injuries.
Rail operator Adif provided details about the trains involved.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
