New Details Revealed About High-Speed Train Crash as Death Toll Rises to 39: ‘People Were Thrown Through the Windows’

The death toll from a devastating train collision in southern Spain has climbed to 39 as rescuers continue painstaking recovery work at the wreckage.

The crash happened at around 7:45 p.m. local time on Sunday, Jan. 18, when an Iryo train traveling from Málaga to Madrid derailed and struck a Renfe Alvia train headed to Huelva, Spanish outlets El País and El Mundo reported. Several cars from the Renfe Alvia train plunged down a four-meter embankment after the impact, killing the train’s driver.

Authorities said at least 39 people have died, 48 have been hospitalized and 12 are in intensive care, El País reported, citing the Civil Guard and Andalusian emergency services. In total, 484 passengers were affected.

On Monday, Juanma Moreno, president of the Andalusian regional government, warned the toll could rise once crews can fully access the most damaged carriages, according to La Sexta.

“We have 39 confirmed deaths, but unfortunately, the number won’t stay theresme

Spain Train Collision Death Toll Rises to 39 as Recovery Work Continues at Wreck Site

The death toll from a deadly train collision in southern Spain has risen to 39 as crews continue recovery efforts and investigators work to determine what caused the crash.

At around 7:45 p.m. local time on Sunday, Jan. 18, an Iryo train traveling from Málaga to Madrid derailed and collided with a Renfe Alvia train bound for Huelva, Spanish outlets El País and El Mundo reported. Several carriages from the Renfe Alvia train tumbled down a four-meter embankment on impact, killing the train’s driver.

Authorities said at least 39 people have died, 48 have been hospitalized and 12 are in intensive care, El País reported, citing the Civil Guard and the Andalusian emergency services. In total, 484 passengers were affected by the crash.

Juanma Moreno, president of the Andalusian regional government, said Monday that the toll could still climb once crews can safely lift the most heavily damaged cars, according to La Sexta.

“We have 39 confirmed deaths, but unfortunately, the number won’t stay there,” Moreno told Canal Sur Television. He said heavy machinery was expected to be in place around 1 p.m. so crews could lift carriages one, two and three of the Alvia train — the cars that suffered the most severe damage.

“Some people have already been identified and counted, but when they are lifted, we may find more deceased individuals underneath, beside, or among the wreckage,” he added.

The Civil Guard has opened offices in several cities across Spain to help families and friends assist with identification, according to Madrid newspaper La Razon.

There has not yet been an official report on the cause of the collision, and it remains unclear how fast either train was traveling at the time.

“Here at ground zero, when you look at this mass of twisted iron, you see the violence of the impact,” Moreno said, per The Guardian. “The impact was so incredibly violent that we have found bodies hundreds of meters away, which means that people were thrown through the windows.”

Spain’s Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, called it “a very strange accident” after speaking with experts and technicians, El Mundo reported. He said the crash occurred on a straight stretch of track that had been renovated in May.

The derailed Iryo train — operated by the private company Iryo — was manufactured in 2022 and passed an inspection on Jan. 15, 2025, according to La Razon.

Renfe president Álvaro Fernández de Heredia ruled out human error and said the system is designed to correct incorrect decisions, the outlet reported.

Officials said the rear portion of the Iryo train derailed and struck the front of the other train, sending its first two cars off the track and down a 13-foot slope. The front section of the Renfe train sustained the worst damage, according to the Associated Press.

“My condolences and support to those who have lost a loved one,” Moreno said, per Canal Sur Television. “Stay strong and let’s not lose faith in a safe mode of transport like the railway. When the railway safety agency’s commission begins its investigation, we will know the cause of this accident and we will be able to see how to prevent it from happening again.”

He added: “Now it is important that the injured recover and that the deceased are identified so that their families can be informed as soon as possible.”