At least 21 killed in Spain after crash involving high-speed trains

The official cause is not yet known. An investigation is not expected to determine what happened for at least a month.

Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, said the country will endure a “night of deep pain”.

Iryo, a private rail company that operated the journey from Malaga, said around 300 passengers were on board the train that first derailed, while the other train – operated by Renfe – had around 100 passengers.

The mayor of Adamuz, Rafael Moreno, was one of the first people on the scene of the accident. He described it as like “a nightmare”.

In a post on X, the Emergency Agency of Andalucía urged any crash survivors to post on social media that they are alive.

The twisted wreckage of the train made it difficult to recover survivors and bodies, rescue crews said.

Cordoba fire chief Francisco Carmona told Spanish public broadcaster RTVE: “We have even had to remove a dead person to be able to reach someone alive. It is hard, tricky work.”