The death toll from a tragic rail accident in Andalusia continues to rise, with dozens injured. Local authorities warn that the number of injured and dead may still rise.
The number of victims of a railway accident in Spain rose to 21. According to the latest information from local authorities, at least 73 people were injured. This was reported by the AFP agency, writes TASR.
The accident occurred near the town of Adamuz in Andalusia shortly after 7:30 p.m. CET, when the last three carriages of an Iryo train heading from Malaga to Madrid’s Atocha station derailed. These carriages collided with two carriages of a Renfe train traveling on the opposite track from Madrid to Huelva and also derailed.
Rescue operations
“We have a very difficult night ahead of us,” Antonio Sanz Cabello, the head of the emergency services in Andalusia, told a news conference. According to him, the injured passengers were taken to six different hospitals and rescue operations are still ongoing. According to initial information, approximately 100 people were injured, 25 of them seriously. Authorities fear that the death toll may rise.
There were more than 400 passengers on the trains, many of them were stuck in the carriages. Rescuers and firefighters are working on the scene. The cause of the derailment was not immediately known.
Train traffic suspended
After the accident, the traffic of all high-speed trains between Madrid and Andalusia in the south of Spain was suspended for at least the whole of Monday, the railway company ADIF reported on the X network.
King Philip VI of Spain and Queen Letizia said they were following the news of the train disaster with great concern. They expressed their sincere condolences to the relatives of the deceased and wished the injured a speedy recovery. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also expressed her condolences to the families of the victims.
