Spain's Worst Crash in 13 Years Baffles Experts: 39 Dead on 'Perfect' Track

Two high-speed trains collided in southern Spain on Sunday evening, killing at least 39 people in the country's deadliest rail disaster since 2013. What's left transport officials scratching their heads is where it happened: a straight stretch of track that had been renovated just months ago.

The crash occurred near Adamuz in Córdoba province around 7:45 p.m. local time. The rear carriages of an Iryo train travelling from Málaga to Madrid with roughly 300 passengers derailed and crossed onto an adjacent track, slamming into an oncoming Renfe service carrying about 200 passengers from Madrid to Huelva, according to CNN.

The impact knocked the Renfe train's front two carriages off the rails, sending them down a 4-metre (13-foot) embankment. Seventy-three passengers were injured. Twenty-four of them are in serious condition.

Officials Call It 'Truly Strange'

Transport Minister Óscar Puente didn't mince words. The crash was 'truly strange' and 'extremely unusual', he told reporters, especially given that it happened on infrastructure that should have been amongst the safest in Europe.

That stretch of track was renovated in May 2025 as part of a €700 million ($814 million, £598 million) investment project, NPR reported. The Iryo train was less than four years old.

'All the railway experts who have been here today' cannot explain what went wrong, Puente said. Finding answers could take a month. At this stage, investigators have no idea whether the problem originated with the train or the track. Technicians are scrambling to figure it out.

Most derailments happen on curves. This one didn't. Spain operates Europe's largest high-speed rail network - more than 3,100 kilometres (1,926 miles) of track carrying trains at speeds above 250 kilometres per hour (155 mph) - and incidents like this are rare.

El País reported that the Renfe service heading to Huelva bore the worst of it. Its front two carriages, carrying 53 of the roughly 200 passengers aboard, slammed into the derailed Iryo cars and tumbled down a four-metre embankment. That's where rescue crews have focused their efforts, working through the night to reach those trapped inside.

Night Rescue in Twisted Wreckage

Firefighters, police, and military units descended on the scene. They worked through the night in pitch-black conditions, trying to free passengers trapped inside mangled carriages.

'The problem is that the carriages are twisted, so the metal is twisted with the people inside,' Córdoba's chief firefighter, Francisco Carmona, told local media.

The BBC reported that train passengers were scrambling out of smashed windows. Some grabbed emergency hammers to break the glass. Others climbed out through the roof.

RTVE journalist Salvador Jiménez was on board one of the trains. The derailment 'felt like an earthquake', he said. Survivors were left waiting in freezing temperatures for buses to take them to emergency centres.

Worst Since 2013 Galicia Disaster

Spain hasn't seen anything this deadly since July 2013. Back then, 80 people were killed when a train derailed near Santiago de Compostela in Galicia after entering a curve at 190 kilometres per hour (118 mph) - more than double the 80 kilometre-per-hour (50 mph) speed limit.

For many Spaniards, Sunday's crash brought those memories flooding back.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called it 'a night of deep pain' for the country. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, who were in Athens for a funeral, said they were following developments 'with great concern'.

Rail services between Madrid and Andalusia were suspended on Monday while investigators combed through the wreckage. Renfe, the national railway company, carried more than 25 million passengers on its high-speed trains last year. The network is a lifeline for the region.

The Spanish Red Cross set up a help centre in Adamuz for families desperate for news about loved ones.

Antonio Sanz, the Andalusian health minister, warned the death toll could still climb as rescue teams continue their grim work.