A devastating train accident in Spain has resulted in at least 10 fatalities and left over 100 individuals injured. This tragic incident unfolded when two high-speed trains derailed near Adamuz, close to Cordoba, at approximately 7:39 p.m. local time on Sunday.
The collision involved two trains: one was en route from Málaga to Madrid, while the other was heading towards Huelva on a parallel track. Both trains overturned while traveling at high speeds. According to reports from El Mundo, among the deceased is the driver of the train bound for Huelva.
Andalusia’s emergency services took to social media platform X to communicate the gravity of the situation, noting that there were multiple injuries as a result of the derailment and collision in Adamuz.
While the full extent of the disaster is still being assessed, local media outlets have indicated that 317 passengers were aboard the Madrid-bound train. Current reports suggest that around 100 people sustained injuries, with 25 in serious condition. The exact number of casualties has yet to be confirmed by authorities.
The full scale of the incident is not currently known, and authorities have not confirmed the number of people who have died, though ABC reported at least 100 people were injured, 25 of them seriously.
Local media also reported that 317 people were on the Madrid-bound train.
It is not currently known how many people remain trapped, but horrifying footage showed rescue teams desperately working in pitch-black conditions to free those who remain in the trains.
Journalist Salvador Jiménez of Radio Nacional de España (RNE), who was on the train at the time, said the derailment felt ‘like an earthquake’.
He said the train’s crew immediately called out for medical personnel onboard to help the injured, adding that at least one of the derailed carriages ‘had completely overturned’ and had broken windows.
Horrifying footage showed rescue teams desperately working in pitch-black conditions to free those trapped in the trains that derailed in Adamuz near Cordoba
The full scale of the incident is not currently known, and authorities have not confirmed the number of people who have died
Passengers wait in the hall of Madrid train station on January 18, 2026, following the announcement of the suspension of service due to an accident in which two trains derailed in Cordoba
Ambulances gather at the Puerta de Atocha train station in Madrid, Spain, 18 January 2026
Emergency services were first called to the scene at 7.50pm.
Local media reported that a large emergency response has been mobilised, made up of dozens of ambulances, mobile ICUs and support vehicles, to treat the injured.
Firefighters from seven stations in the area have also been dispatched.
The president of the Madrid region, Isabel Diaz Ayuso said its hospitals were available to the Andalusia region if required.
Local residents have also reportedly begun providing support for those affected, bringing food and blankets to makeshift field hospitals.
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez said in a post to X: ‘Very concerned about the accident between two high-speed trains that have derailed in Adamuz (Córdoba).
‘The Government is working with the rest of the competent authorities and emergency services to assist the passengers.’
The King and Queen of Spain – who, at the time of the crash, were in Athens with their daughters for the Monday funeral of Princess Irene of Greece – have said they are following developments in the tragedy ‘with great concern.
The Royal Household of Spain said in statement: ‘We continue to follow with great concern the serious accident between two high-speed trains in Adamuz.
‘We extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the deceased, as well as our best wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured’.
The number of people still trapped in the wreckage of the two trains is still not known
The accident happened Adamuz near Cordoba at 7:39pm local time
All high-speed rail traffic between Madrid and Cordoba, Seville, Malaga, and Huelva will be suspended throughout Monday at least, per ADIF, Spain’s national rail network operator.
The cancellations of the high-speed trains left dozens at Madrid’s Atocha Station scrambling for alternative transport or last-minute accommodation.
El Mundo reported that queues at car rental offices at the station have long queues of weary travellers, while many are demanding buses to complete their journeys.
The crash came just months after three British nationals, Kayleigh Smith, 36, William Nelson, 44, and David Young, 82, were among 16 people who died in the Gloria funicular tram disaster in Lisbon when the streetcar derailed and crashed in the Portuguese capital.
In 2013, 79 people died after a high-speed train veered off the track on a sharp bend near the Spanish northwestern city of Santiago de Compostela, slammed into a concrete wall and burst into flames.
Another 143 people were injured in Spain’s worst train crash in decades.
The Daily Mail has contacted the UK’s foreign office for comment.
More to follow.
