39 Killed in Deadly Train Crash in Southern Spain

The incident occurred at 7:45 pm local time between two trains traveling through southern Spain. The first train, run by private high-speed rail operator Iryo, was on a route from Málaga to Madrid and had stopped at the city of Córdoba en route.

After leaving Córdoba, several rear carriages of the train derailed on a straight track near the town of Adamuz– an occurrence that officials later described as "extremely strange." An oncoming train on a route from Madrid to Huelva, traveling at 124 miles per hour, then slammed into these rear carriages, sending the second train careening off the side of the railway embankment.

The Iryo-operated train had 371 people onboard, while the second train, operated by state-owned railway company Renfe, was carrying approximately 100 passengers.

Local police quickly arrived at the scene, attempting to save as many passengers as possible, but many bodies were too badly damaged by the time they were recovered. Five mobile intensive care units, four emergency critical care units, and multiple ambulances were among the vehicles deployed to the scene In particular, the two frontmost carriages of the Renfe train were mangled after being hit, trapping victims inside the mess of twisted metal.

In total, at least 39 people were killed, and dozens were hospitalized with injuries– several of which are still in critical condition. Search-and-rescue operations are underway, helping victims escape from the remnants of the two trains through smashed doors or broken windows. Others had to be carried out on stretchers, further complicating the situation.

Authorities have also confirmed that heavy machinery will be needed to move the remains of the trains off the tracks, and railway operator Adif has halted all operations on the track to allow for a proper cleanup and investigation. Other railways across Spain – which has the world's second-longest high-speed rail network after China – have also been shut down

The exact cause of the incident is still unknown, but officials will conduct a thorough investigation to find out how and why the rear end of a train would have derailed on a straight section of track. Authorities also noted that the train was relatively new and the tracks had recently been renovated, ruling out age as a factor.