Two high-speed trains derailed between Madrid and Málaga on Sunday evening, resulting in at least 39 fatalities, including a Renfe train driver. 73 have been injured, 15 of whom are in serious condition, announced the president of the Andalusian Regional Government, Juanma Moreno. He added that the death toll could rise in the coming hours because one of the derailed carriages is severely damaged, where rescue efforts continue on Monday morning. 170 people with minor injuries have been treated at a field hospital.
The accident occurred at 6:40 p.m. on Sunday evening in Adamuz (near the city of Córdoba), according to Spanish railway manager Adif. High-speed trains between Madrid and Córdoba, Seville, Málaga and Huelva will not be running on Monday.
A high-speed train of operator Iryo travelling from Málaga to Madrid derailed first and ended up on the other track. There it collided with an oncoming Renfe high-speed train, which also derailed. An eyewitness told the public broadcaster that one of the carriages of the first train had completely overturned. Passengers used emergency hammers to break the windows of the carriages and get out, he said.
Evacuation
The evacuation of all passengers from the Iryo 6189 train involved in the accident was completed in the early hours of Monday morning, as reported by the company itself on social media. Two Renfe train cars fell down a four-meter embankment, and regional president Moreno, speaking from Adamuz, acknowledged that one of the carriages has been reduced to a “tangled wreck,” requiring the use of heavy machinery for the last rescue efforts.
According to Spanish media, there were a total of 400 people on the trains. There were various reports of the amount of injured and fatalities, with numbers rising frequently. One of the deceased is the Renfe train driver, it reports, citing sources at the Ministry of Transport. Televisión Española earlier reported the injured included the driver of one of the trains.
#AccidenteFerroviario | Más de 220 guardias civiles, pertenecientes a unidades de Seguridad Ciudadana, Agrupación de Tráfico, GRS y del Servicio Aéreo, continúan trabajando en el dispositivo tras el accidente ferroviario ocurrido en #Adamuz #Córdoba.
El equipo Central de… pic.twitter.com/8ZiiXL8eHW
— Guardia Civil (@guardiacivil) January 19, 2026
‘Extremely strange accident’
Transport Minister Oscar Puente said in a press conference the causes of the accident are as of yet unknown. He called it an ‘extremely strange accident’, reports RTVE. The section of track where the derailment occurred was “a straight stretch” that was renovated in May 2025. “700 million euros have been invested” in that track, which was “supposedly in perfect condition,” he declared. Furthermore, the Iryo train that derailed was “relatively new,” barely four years old.
In response to the tragedy, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said that Spain had experienced a ‘night of deep sorrow’. ‘I would like to express my sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims. No words can ease such great suffering, but I want them to know that the whole country stands with them in this difficult time,’ said Sánchez.
Updated on 19 January, 9:13
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