Rescue teams in southern Spain deployed cranes and heavy machinery to reach the most damaged carriages after a derailment and collision near Adamuz, Córdoba, that has killed at least 41 people. Authorities say three bodies remain trapped and police have filed 43 missing-person reports; investigators are examining a broken rail to determine whether it caused the accident or broke during it. Survivors described chaotic scenes and the King and Queen visited the site. Transport services may be restored around Feb. 2, and Iberia added flights to ease disruption.
Spain Deploys Cranes to Recover Missing After Deadly Adamuz Train Crash
Maintenance workers from Adif work above the wreckage of a train involved in the accident, at the site of a deadly derailment of two high-speed trains near Adamuz, in Cordoba, Spain, January 20, 2026. REUTERS/Susana Vera
Spanish rescuers used cranes and heavy machinery on Tuesday to reach the most badly damaged carriages after a collision and derailment near Adamuz in Córdoba province, as teams worked to recover the remains of people still missing in one of Europe's deadliest recent rail accidents. Authorities say at least 41 people have died.
The accident — the first fatal incident on Spain's high-speed rail network — happened on Sunday evening in rolling, olive-growing countryside about 360 km (223 miles) south of Madrid. The crash involved a state-run Alvia service and a private Iryo train; the Alvia carriages plunged down a 4-metre embankment, while the rear carriages of the Iryo train were also heavily damaged.
Members of the Spanish Civil Guard and ADIF stand near the wreckage of a train involved in the accident, at the site of a deadly derailment of two high-speed trains near Adamuz, in Cordoba, Spain, January 20, 2026. REUTERS/Susana Vera
Heavy Equipment Deployed
Emergency crews worked overnight and into Tuesday morning to level ground around the worst-hit cars so rescue teams could access trapped areas. The Andalusian regional government said two additional cranes were added to the operation. The site is reachable only by a single-track road, complicating access for machinery and personnel.
Bodies Still Trapped, Families Wait
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told reporters at least three bodies remain trapped in the wreckage and police had received 43 missing-person reports — a figure that broadly matches the provisional death toll. He warned the final number would not be confirmed until rescue teams had lifted the most damaged carriages to inspect underneath.
Emergency personnel work at the site of the trains involved in the accident, following a deadly derailment of two high-speed trains near Adamuz, in Cordoba, Spain, January 19, 2026. REUTERS/Ana Beltran
Relatives continued to wait at an emergency centre in Córdoba. Osiris Sevilla described her anxiety while waiting for news about her husband: "Every second that goes by lasts a lifetime," she said, adding she had not given up hope that he survived. Survivors recounted chaotic scenes: Lola Beltran told TVE she had moved carriages minutes before the crash and later had to "break the windows with emergency hammers and pry open the doors to get out."
Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia visited the site and spoke with locals and early responders. One teenager who reached the scene described it to El Mundo as "like a massacre... with dismembered bodies, limbs here and there," reflecting the traumatic impact on witnesses and rescuers.
A drone view shows emergency services at work at the site of a deadly train derailment near Adamuz, in Cordoba province, Spain. January 18. REUTERS/Leonardo Benassatto
Investigators Probe Broken Rail
Transport Minister Óscar Puente said investigators are keeping all hypotheses open and cautioned against jumping to conclusions. A broken rail discovered near the scene is "one more piece of data," he said, but officials are determining whether the fracture was a cause or a consequence of the derailment.
Scottish railway engineer Gareth Dennis, speaking to Reuters, noted that a police photograph showing a broken rail marked with the number "1" suggests the fracture occurred at or very near the initial point of derailment. He said the track immediately before the break appeared intact and that the fracture was close to a rail weld, a potential weak spot; cold weather can raise tensile stress as rails contract.
A general view inside the Malaga train station, following a deadly derailment of two high-speed trains near Adamuz, in Malaga, Spain, January 19, 2026. REUTERS/Jon Nazca
"The interesting question is why did the rail break," Dennis said, rather than simply why the train derailed.
Transport Disruption And Support
Puente said services on the line between Andalusia and Madrid are expected to be restored around February 2. National carrier Iberia said it would add extra daily flights from Madrid to Seville and Malaga and cap ticket prices at 99 euros to meet additional travel demand.
An information panel at Malaga train station displays the cancelled train journeys from Malaga to Madrid, following a deadly derailment of two high-speed trains near Adamuz, in Malaga, Spain, January 19, 2026. REUTERS/Jon Nazca
($1 = 0.8516 euros)
Reporting by Nina Lopez and Michael Francis Gore; additional writing by David Latona and Charlie Devereux; editing by Charlie Devereux, Tomasz Janowski and Gareth Jones.
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