Adamuz, Spain train derailments. 39 dead, 292 injured

On 18 January 2026, two high-speed passenger trains derailed in Adamuz, Córdoba, Spain, killing at least 39 people and injuring 292 others, including 15 in critical condition.

It is Spain's worst railway disaster since the Santiago de Compostela derailment in 2013.

Background

Spain's high-speed rail network is the second longest in the world, behind China's. Fatal derailments have occurred on the network, most notably the Santiago de Compostela derailment in July 2013 that killed 79 people.

The Madrid–Seville high-speed rail line has been operational since 1992.

Since 2014, the line has been operated by the state-owned infrastructure operator ADIF-Alta Velocidad.

 Renfe-Operadora, Spain's state-owned national train operator, was created in 2005 as a successor to the long-established Red Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Españoles. Iryo, a rail company majority-owned by Trenitalia, was founded as ILSA in 2019,[8] and began offering services in Andalusia in 2023.

A train drivers' union warned railway operator Adif in August of heavy wear and tear on tracks, including where the derailments happened. This included potholes, bumps, and imbalances in ​overhead power lines that were causing frequent breakdowns and damaging ‍the trains. Allegedly, no action had been taken despite the warnings.

High-speed trains between Madrid and Andalusia have experienced frequent delays since 2022.

Sky News found at least 18 incidents on the tracks over the past three years, from signalling failures to issues with overhead power lines. Spain's high-speed network is particularly vulnerable to cable thefts, as it crosses large swathes of underpopulated and empty ​countryside.

I wonder what are the official findings because it looks very similar to the one in Poland after the use of explosive charges by Russian saboteurs who then fled to Belarus

 Source: Jaroslaw Wolski

Derailment

The first train, Iryo 6189, had departed Málaga for Madrid at 18:40, while the second train, Renfe's Alvia 2384, had departed Madrid at 18:05 bound for Huelva.

The derailment occurred on a straight section of track that was last refurbished in May 2025.

Both trains were traveling within the 250 km/h (160 mph) speed limit on the track.

The Iryo train, with at least 317 passengers on board, had left Córdoba-Julio Anguita station at approximately 19:39 CET.[13] Its rear carriages derailed shortly afterwards, while traversing a set of points, and crashed onto the opposite track. The Renfe train with around 100 passengers, traveling on the parallel track in the opposite direction, collided with the derailed Iryo train seconds later and also derailed.

The Renfe train sustained the more severe damage, with its first two carriages falling down an embankment of about 4 m (13 ft).

 Access to the area where the carriages came to rest was extremely difficult, complicating rescue and recovery operations.

Victims

Regional authorities said at least 39 people were killed and 292 others were injured.

Of the injured, 170 were treated for minor injuries while 122 others, including 15 in critical condition, were transported to hospital. By the following day, 79 people were discharged from hospital. Local authorities said the death toll could rise significantly as search and rescue operations continue. Among those killed was the driver of the Renfe train.

Investigation

According to Minister of Transport Óscar Puente, the accident occurred on a section of track consisting of "a straight line" that was renovated in May 2025, adding that "€700 million has been invested" in that track, which was "supposedly in perfect condition".

The Iryo train that derailed was described as "relatively new", having been manufactured in 2022 and passing its last safety inspection on 15 January 2026.

Puente also described the crash as "tremendously strange". The first investigations pointed towards a faulty rail weld as the most likely cause of the crash. 

Aftermath

A makeshift hospital was set up at a sports center in Adamuz to treat the victims. The Civil Guard confirmed the suspension of high-speed rail service between Madrid and Andalusia for the entire day of 19 January. It also opened offices in Córdoba, Madrid, Malaga, Huelva and Seville for relatives of the missing and unidentified deceased to deliver DNA samples for identification.

 The stations of Atocha, Córdoba, Seville and Málaga remained open all night 18 to 19 January to accommodate the hundreds of passengers that could not take the scheduled trains.

Iberia increased flights to Seville and Malaga to assist stranded travelers.

Reactions

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the government was working with emergency services to help those affected, while Andalusian regional president Juanma Moreno expressed both his concern and support for the victims and their families. The infrastructure manager of the line ADIF said it would establish spaces for relatives of victims at Atocha, Seville, Córdoba, Málaga and Huelva stations.

 The defence ministry said it would deploy 15 vehicles and 40 personnel from the Military Emergencies Unit to the site of the derailment.

Sánchez declared three days of official mourning and cancelled his scheduled visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in order to visit the crash site.

King Felipe VI and his family, who were in Greece for the funeral of Princess Irene, expressed their dismay and solidarity with the victims and cancelled their schedule for 20 January.

Numerous foreign leaders from Europe and abroad expressed their condolences to the Spanish people in the aftermath of the tragedy.[31] Pope Leo XIV also sent his "heartfelt condolences" as he was "deeply saddened".