At least 39 people were killed and dozens injured in a devastating train collision in southern Spain on Sunday. The accident occurred at 7.45 pm near Adamuz in the province of Cordoba, about 360 km south of Madrid. An Iryo-operated train traveling from Malaga to Madrid derailed, sending multiple carriages onto the other tracks. These were then hit head-on by a Renfe train traveling from Madrid to Huelva, sending it careering down a railway embankment. The Iryo train had more than 300 passengers on board, while the Renfe train had around 100. The crash took place 10 minutes after the Iryo train left Cordoba heading towards Madrid, authorities said. The driver of one of the trains, which was traveling from Madrid to Huelva, was among those who died. The accident happened on a straight section of track that had been renovated in May, which has raised questions about the cause of the derailment. Spanish transport minister Oscar Puente described the crash as 'very serious', adding that the impact was 'terrible', causing the first two units of the Renfe train to be thrown off the tracks. The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, cleared his schedule for Monday to address the tragedy. A shocked woman who was on the train heading to Huelva described the scene as 'everyone screaming, bags falling from above'. She was sitting in carriage four, at the back, and was lucky to have only a bad neck as an injury. The mayor of Adamuz, the town where the crash happened, was at a center where relatives are waiting for news of their loved ones. He took part in the rescue last night, helping people out of the train with his own hands. The Civil Guard has sent out a special team to confirm the identities of the victims who have not yet been identified. The number of victims could rise, as the death toll has already reached 39 and is not final. The rescue efforts are ongoing, with one train cleared of passengers and rescue teams reaching the third carriage of the Alvia train.
