At least 39 people have been killed with a further 170 sustaining injuries in a horrifying train collision in Spain. A Malaga to Madrid service derailed in Adamuz (near the city of Cordoba), crossing onto an adjacent track. The wreckage was struck by a second train travelling from Madrid to Huelva causing it to also derail. It is known that 15 of the injured are in a critical condition, with four being children. 

Most passengers were Spaniards travelling to and from Madrid after the weekend. it is unclear how many tourists were on board during a low-season period in Spain. Many of those on board were catapulted through windows and their bodies were found hundreds of meters from the crash site, The 27-year-old driver of the Madrid to Huelva train was reported to be one of those killed in the horror smash, although that has still to be verified.

The Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente said the death toll sadly “is not yet final” adding that the incident is being described as “extremely strange” as it occurred on straight stretch of track. Rescue teams report that the twisted wreckage is making it difficult to recover people still trapped inside the carriages. The force of the impact was so violent the two trains ended up more than 1,500ft apart, and most of those killed and injured were in the front carriages of the second train.

Iryo, a private rail company that operated the service from Málaga, said around 300 passengers were on board their train with the state-funded firm Renfe who operated the second train, announcing that there were approximately 100 people travelling on with them.

A witness on board the second train who survived the ordeal said: “We felt the first jolt and, in a fraction of a second, another very strong one. The table in front of our seat fell on top of us, the lights went out, and the carriage roof collapsed.” Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, said the country will endure a “night of deep pain” whilst King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia said they were following news of the disaster “with great concern”. 

The official cause is not yet known in what is the country’s worst collision in more than a decade and an investigation is not expected to determine what happened for at least a month. All rail services between Madrid and Andalusia were suspended following the accident and are expected to remain closed for several days.