At least 40 dead in Spanish high-speed train crash

WASHINGTON (TNND) — At least 40 people are confirmed dead following a high-speed train collision in southern Spain, regional officials said Monday.

The crash happened Sunday night in the Andalusia region when the rear of a passenger train derailed and struck another train traveling at high speed in the opposite direction, according to Spanish rail operator Adif.

Broken windows of a crashed train are photographed at the site of a train collision in Adamuz, southern Spain, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Andalusian regional president Juanma Moreno confirmed the death toll during a news conference, saying recovery crews were still working to retrieve bodies from two heavily damaged train cars.

Moreno said the force of the collision sent the lead carriages of the second train off the tracks and down a roughly 13-foot embankment. Some victims were found hundreds of meters from the crash site, and officials warned the number of dead could rise as crews continue to search what Moreno described as a “mass of twisted metal.”

The crash occurred around 7:45 p.m. Sunday. One train carrying 289 passengers was traveling from Malaga to Madrid when its tail end jumped the tracks. It then collided with an oncoming train traveling from Madrid to the southern city of Huelva, authorities said.

Pieces of a crashed train are photographed at the site of a train collision in Adamuz, southern Spain, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Spain’s transport minister, Óscar Puente, said the front of the second train — which was carrying nearly 200 passengers — absorbed the brunt of the impact. He said the first two carriages were knocked off the tracks and appeared to account for most of the fatalities.

Authorities said all survivors had been rescued by early Monday morning. Officials are now assisting hundreds of family members and have asked relatives to provide DNA samples to help identify victims.

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The Associated Press Contributed to this report.