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Death toll climbs to 40 after high-speed train collision in Spain

2:20

Death toll climbs to 40 after high-speed train collision in Spain

Susana Vera/Reuters

ByAicha El Hammar Castano and Leah Sarnoff

January 20, 2026, 4:54 AM

At least 40 people have been killed and more than 100 others were injured from a high-speed train collision in southern Spain, according to emergency officials.

A train traveling from Málaga to Madrid on Sunday derailed near Adamuz, crossing over to the adjacent track where it hit another train coming from Madrid to Huelva, according to Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska.

He announced on Monday that 40 bodies were recovered and authorities believe that three more remain trapped in the wreckage of the derailment, expecting the death toll to rise to 43.

PHOTO: An aerial view of the site where a high-speed train carrying more than 300 passengers derailed and collided with another train traveling in the opposite direction near the town of Adamuz, in the southern Spanish province of Cordoba, Jan. 19, 2026. — An aerial view of the site where a high-speed train carrying more than 300 passengers derailed and collided with another train traveling in the opposite direction near the town of Adamuz, in the southern Spanish province of Cordoba, January 19, 2026.
Str/epa/shutterstock/STR/EPA/Shutterstock

Members of the Spanish Civil Guard, along with other emergency personnel, work next to one of the trains involved in the accident, at the site of a deadly derailment of two high-speed trains near Adamuz, in Cordoba, Spain, January 19, 2026.
Susana Vera/Reuters

Eighty-one of the injured have been discharged and 41 remain hospitalized, emergency officials said on Monday. Twelve of the hospitalized victims are in the intensive care unit, officials said.

Regional President of Andalusia Juan Manuel Moreno said the crews were working through difficult conditions to try to reach the train carriages.

PHOTO: Destroyed train cars are seen Jan. 19, 2026, at the site of the wreckage where a high-speed train carrying more than 300 passengers derailed and collided with another train near the town of Adamuz, Cordoba, Spain. — Destroyed train cars are seen Jan. 19, 2026, at the site of the wreckage where a high-speed train carrying more than 300 passengers derailed and collided with another train traveling in the opposite direction on an adjacent track near the town of Adamuz, Cordoba, Spain.
Guardia Civil/EPA/Shutterstock

PHOTO: A crushed train car is seen Jan. 19, 2026 at the site of the wreckage where a high-speed train carrying more than 300 passengers derailed and collided with another train near the town of Adamuz, Cordoba, Spain. — A crushed train car is seen Jan. 19, 2026 at the site of the wreckage where a high-speed train carrying more than 300 passengers derailed and collided with another train traveling in the opposite direction on an adjacent track near the town of Adamuz, Cordoba, Spain.
Guardia Civil/EPA/Shutterstock

About 400 people were on board both trains, officials said.

Oscar Puente, the Spanish transport minister, said in a statement early on Monday that the death toll was "not final."

"I want to express all my gratitude for the huge effort of the rescue teams during the night, under very difficult circumstances, and my condolences to the victims and their families in these terribly painful moments," he said in Spanish on social media.

At least 21 people were killed, and 100 more were injured after two high-speed trains collided in southern Spain on Sunday, according to officials.
@eleanorinthesky via X

Members of the Spanish Civil Guard, along with other emergency personnel, work next to one of the trainsÂ involved in the accident, at the site of a deadly derailment of two high-speed trains near Adamuz, in Cordoba, Spain, Jan. 19, 2026.
Susana Vera/Reuters

The cause of the train derailment has not been released.

Iryo, the company operating the train that initially derailed, released a statement, saying the company "deeply regrets what has happened and has activated all emergency protocols, working closely with the competent authorities to manage the situation."

PHOTO: Ana, one of the victims of a deadly derailment of two high-speed trains, looks on at while seeking her missing dog, which travelled with her and her sister, now hospitalized, during the accident near Adamuza, in Cordoba, Spain, Jan. 9, 2026. — Ana, one of the victims of a deadly derailment of two high-speed trains, looks on at the Citizen Help Center while seeking her missing dog, which travelled with her and her sister, now hospitalized, during the accident near Adamuza, in Cordoba, Spain, Jan. 9, 2026.
Ana Beltran/Reuters

Puente, the transport minister, said the high-speed Iryo train was "relatively new."

Puente said the derailment of the Iryo train bound for Madrid and its subsequent collision with the second train happened on a straight stretch of track, which had undergone extensive renovation work that was only finished in May.

Members of the Spanish Civil Guard, along with other emergency personnel, work next to one of the trains involved in the accident, at the site of a deadly derailment of two high-speed trains near Adamuz, in Cordoba, Spain, January 19, 2026.
Susana Vera/Reuters

The Spanish minister called the accident "extremely strange."

"It's very difficult at this moment to explain," Puente added, and said he hoped the investigation would help clear up what has happened.

ABC News' Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.

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