Toll in Spain train collision rises to at least 39 dead as rescuers search for more bodies

Toll in Spain train collision rises to at least 39 dead as rescue efforts continue 1 of 5 | A high-speed train derailed, jumped onto the track in the opposite direction and slammed into an oncoming train Sunday in southern Spain, killing at least people 21 and injuring dozens more, the country’s transport minister said. 2 of 5 | A high-speed train derailed on Sunday evening and jumped onto the track in the opposite direction, slamming into an oncoming train, killing at least 21 people and injuring dozens more, the country’s transport minister said. 3 of 5 | An injured person is transported by ambulance in Adamuz, near Córdoba, southern Spain, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, after a high-speed train derailed and collided with another train. (Francisco J. Olmo/Europa Press via AP) 4 of 5 | An injured person is transported to the makeshift hospital in the sports center in Adamuz, near Córdoba, southern Spain, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, after a high-speed train derailed and collided with another train. (Francisco J. Olmo/Europa Press via AP) 5 of 5 | An injured person is transported to the makeshift hospital in the sports center in Adamuz, near Córdoba, southern Spain, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, after a high-speed train derailed and collided with another train. (Francisco J. Olmo/Europa Press via AP) 1 of 5 A high-speed train derailed, jumped onto the track in the opposite direction and slammed into an oncoming train Sunday in southern Spain, killing at least people 21 and injuring dozens more, the country’s transport minister said. Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 2 of 5 A high-speed train derailed on Sunday evening and jumped onto the track in the opposite direction, slamming into an oncoming train, killing at least 21 people and injuring dozens more, the country’s transport minister said. Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 3 of 5 An injured person is transported by ambulance in Adamuz, near Córdoba, southern Spain, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, after a high-speed train derailed and collided with another train. (Francisco J. Olmo/Europa Press via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 4 of 5 An injured person is transported to the makeshift hospital in the sports center in Adamuz, near Córdoba, southern Spain, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, after a high-speed train derailed and collided with another train. (Francisco J. Olmo/Europa Press via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 5 of 5 An injured person is transported to the makeshift hospital in the sports center in Adamuz, near Córdoba, southern Spain, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, after a high-speed train derailed and collided with another train. (Francisco J. Olmo/Europa Press via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Adamuz, Spain (AP) — Spanish police said Monday that at least 39 people died in the high-speed train collision Sunday in southern Spain and rescue efforts were continuing. The collision occurred when the tail end of a train traveling between Malaga and Madrid with some 300 passengers went off the rails near Cordoba at 7:45 p.m. It slammed into an incoming train from Madrid to Huelva, another southern Spanish city, according to rail operator Adif. Earlier in the morning, Andalusian regional leader Juan Moreno said 75 passengers were hospitalized, 15 in serious condition. Most were taken to Cordoba, about 390 kilometers (242 miles) south of Madrid.The Spanish Red Cross set up a help center in the town of Adamuz, near the crash site, offering assistance to emergency services and people seeking information. Members of Spain’s civil guard and civil defense worked on site throughout the night. Video and photos showed twisted train cars lying on their sides under floodlights. Passengers reported climbing out of smashed windows, with some using emergency hammers to break the windows, according to Salvador Jiménez, a journalist for Spanish broadcaster RTVE, who was on board one of the derailed trains.He told the network by phone that “there was a moment when it felt like an earthquake and the train had indeed derailed.” Officials call accident ‘strange’Spain’s Transport Minister Óscar Puente early Monday said the cause of the crash was unknown.He called it “a truly strange” incident because it happened on a flat stretch of track that had been renovated in May. He also said the train that jumped the track was less than 4 years old. That train belonged to the private company Iryo, while the second train, which took the brunt of the impact, was part of Spain’s public train company Renfe.According to Puente, the back part of the first train derailed and crashed into the head of the other train, knocking its first two carriages off the track and down a 4-meter (13-foot) slope. He said the worst damage was to the front section of the Renfe train.When asked by reporters how long an inquiry into the crash’s cause could take, he said it could be a month. Spain leads Europe in high-speed trainsSpain has the largest high-speed rail network in Europe for trains moving over 250 kph (155 mph), with more than 3,100 kilometers (1,900 miles) of track, according to the European Union.The network is a popular, competitively priced and safe mode of transport. Renfe said more than 25 million passengers took one of its high-speed trains in 2024.Train services between Madrid and cities in Andalusia were cancelled Monday.Spain’s worst train accident this century occurred in 2013, when 80 people died after a train derailed in the country’s northwest. An investigation concluded the train was traveling 179 kph (111 mph) on a stretch with an 80 kph (50 mph) speed limit when it left the tracks.___Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain, and Naishadham from Madrid. AP journalist Barry Hatton contributed from Lisbon, Portugal. Wilson covers Spanish news and sports for The Associated Press. He is based in Barcelona. Naishadham is an Associated Press reporter covering Spain and Portugal. She is based in Madrid.