Spain has declared three days of national mourning following a devastating high-speed train collision in the south of the country that left at least 40 people dead and more than 120 injured.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced the mourning period on Monday, saying the nation was united in grief as emergency teams continued rescue and recovery operations at the crash site near the town of Adamuz, close to Córdoba.
The accident occurred on Sunday evening when a northbound high-speed train traveling from Málaga to Madrid derailed and crossed onto the opposite track. It collided with a southbound service heading toward Huelva. The impact caused several carriages to overturn and pile up, trapping passengers inside twisted metal.
Rescue workers faced major challenges reaching survivors due to the extent of the damage. Authorities confirmed that around 400 passengers and staff were on board the two trains at the time of the collision. Emergency teams treated more than 120 people, with dozens still hospitalized and several in critical condition.
Prime Minister Sánchez visited the scene on Monday and promised a full and transparent investigation. He said the public would be informed once the cause of the crash was clearly established. Transport Minister Óscar Puente described the incident as highly unusual and confirmed that most of the casualties were in the leading carriages of the train traveling south.
Initial findings suggest a possible fault in the railway infrastructure. According to sources familiar with the investigation, a damaged rail joint may have caused instability in the track. However, officials stressed that it remains unclear whether the defect caused the crash or resulted from the impact.
Spain’s national rail operator Adif confirmed that the collision occurred on a straight section of track approximately an hour after the Málaga-bound train departed. The train involved was a Freccia 1000 model, capable of operating at very high speeds.
Authorities have not ruled out technical failure or human error and say the investigation could take several weeks. Identification of victims is ongoing, and officials warned that the death toll could still rise.
The tragedy marks one of the deadliest rail accidents in Spain in over a decade and has prompted renewed scrutiny of railway safety standards across the country.