Spain Mourns After Deadly High-Speed Train Crash Kills 39 Near Córdoba
Quick Summary
A devastating high-speed train collision in southern Spain on January 18, 2026, has left at least 39 people dead and 75 injured, prompting a national day of mourning and a full-scale investigation into the cause. The incident occurred near Córdoba when the rear of a private Iryo train traveling to Madrid derailed on a straight, recently renovated track and slammed into a public Renfe train on an adjacent line, forcing two of its cars down a 13-foot embankment. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has promised a "thorough and absolutely transparent" investigation into the "truly strange" accident, as the train that initially derailed was a modern unit less than four years old. Eyewitnesses described the impact as feeling "like an earthquake," with passengers using emergency hammers to escape the wreckage. The tragedy is a significant shock for Spain, a country renowned for its extensive and safe high-speed rail network, and marks its deadliest rail disaster since a 2013 crash that killed 80 people due to speeding.
A devastating high-speed train collision in southern Spain has left at least 39 people dead and dozens more injured, plunging the nation into a day of mourning. Spanish authorities are now trying to...
A devastating high-speed train collision in southern Spain has left at least 39 people dead and dozens more injured, plunging the nation into a day of mourning. Spanish authorities are now trying to piece together exactly what led to the tragedy near Córdoba on the evening of January 18, 2026.
The crash happened around 7:45 p.m. when the rear of an evening train from Malaga to Madrid derailed. Carrying around 300 passengers, the train then slammed into another high-speed train on an adjacent track that was traveling from Madrid to Huelva. The scale of the disaster was so great that it triggered a national protocol for mass casualty events, with forensic experts being called in to help identify those who died.
By early Monday, Spain's Civil Guard confirmed the death toll had climbed to 39. The nationalities of the victims have not yet been released. Juanma Moreno, the regional president of Andalusia, described the region as “heartbroken,” reporting that 75 passengers were taken to hospitals. Of those, 15 are listed in very serious condition.
In the wake of the disaster, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the nearby town of Adamuz, where local residents had rushed to help emergency services. He promised a “thorough and absolutely transparent” investigation into the crash. “Today is a day of pain for all of Spain,” Sánchez said, canceling his planned trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos.
What caused the derailment is still a mystery. Transport Minister Óscar Puente called the accident “truly strange,” noting that it happened on a straight section of track that was just renovated last May. The train that first went off the rails was a modern unit, less than four years old, operated by the private company Iryo. It crashed into the front of a train run by Renfe, Spain's public rail company.
Puente explained that the back of the Iryo train veered off the tracks and collided with the head of the Renfe train. The impact forced the first two cars of the Renfe train off the rails and down a 13-foot embankment. The front of the Renfe train sustained the most severe damage.
Iryo expressed its deep regret in a statement and confirmed it had activated all its emergency protocols. Renfe's chief, Álvaro Fernández Heredia, called the crash “a tragedy that affects us all.”
Verified video from the scene showed the horrifying aftermath, with a mangled train car tilted on its side as a passenger tried to escape through a window. Salvador Jiménez, a journalist who was on one of the trains, told Spanish broadcaster RTVE that it “felt like an earthquake.” He said passengers had to use emergency hammers to break windows to get out, though some were able to walk away with only minor injuries.
This tragedy is especially shocking given Spain's reputation for safe and affordable rail travel. The country boasts Europe's largest high-speed rail network, with over 1,900 miles of track for trains exceeding 155 mph. The country's deadliest rail disaster this century occurred in 2013, when a train derailed in northwest Spain, killing 80 people after it was found to be traveling at more than double the speed limit.