‘People were thrown through windows’

Need to know

• At least 39 people were killed in a train accident in southern Spain on Sunday, January 18

• Juanma Moreno, head of the Andalusia regional government, said on Monday that the death toll was likely to rise after the train cars were removed.

• “The impact was so violent that we found bodies hundreds of meters away, meaning people were thrown through the windows,” Moreno said.

The number of deaths from Train accident in southern Spain It rose to 39 as recovery efforts continued at the scene.

At around 7:45pm local time on Sunday, January 18, an Erio train traveling from Malaga to Madrid derailed and collided with a Renfe Alvea train heading to Huelva, Spanish media reported. Country and the world I mentioned. Several carriages of the Renfe Alfea train fell onto a four-metre-high bridge upon impact, killing their driver.

At least 39 people have died, 48 have been hospitalized and 12 are in intensive care. Country Quoted from the Civil Guard and Andalusian Emergency Services. 484 passengers were affected by the accident.

Juanma Moreno, head of the Andalusian regional government, said on Monday that “the tragedy will be much greater” once the scene is assessed, according to the report. Sixth.

“We have 39 confirmed deaths, but unfortunately, the number will not stay there,” Moreno said. Sur TV channel. “At the moment, we are waiting for the heavy machinery, the crane, to be ready at around one o’clock in the afternoon so that they can lift the first, second and third carriages of the Alfea train, which was the one that suffered the most damage in this accident.”

He continued: “Some people have already been identified and counted, but when they are recovered, we may find more dead under, next to or among the debris.”

The Civil Guard has set up offices in several cities across Spain, where families and friends of victims can help identify them, according to the Madrid newspaper. the reason.

No official report has yet been issued on the cause of the collision, and it is not known how fast the two trains were traveling.

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

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The Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Oscar Puente, said in a press conference at the Atocha station that it appears to be a “very strange accident,” after speaking with experts and technicians, according to what was reported by local media. the world. He revealed that the accident occurred on a straight track that was renovated in May.

The derailed train, owned by private company Iryo, was manufactured in 2022 and passed inspection on January 15, 2025, according to the report. the reason.

Renfe’s president, Álvaro Fernández de Heredia, ruled out human error as the cause, and said their train system is designed to correct incorrect decisions, according to the outlet.

The back of the Erio train derailed and struck the front of the other train, sending the first two cars off the track and down a 13-foot cliff. The front part of the Renfe train was the most affected area, according to Agence France-Presse news agency.

“My condolences and support to those who lost their loved ones,” Moreno told Canal Sur TV. “Stay strong and let’s not lose confidence in a safe means of transport like railways. When the Railway Safety Agency Commission begins its investigations, we will know what caused this accident and we will be able to figure out how to prevent it from happening again.

He added: “It is now important for the infected to recover and for the deceased to be identified so that their families can be informed as quickly as possible.”

PEOPLE has reached out to Renfe Alvia and Iryo for further comment.

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