At least 21 people have died and 25 others are severely injured after two high-speed trains derailed in southern Spain, local emergency services say.
The accident happened at 6:40pm in Adamuz near Cordoba on Sunday, local time, after the train headed for Madrid jumped onto the track in the opposite direction and hit an oncoming train, the Spanish rail network operator Adif said.
So far, 21 people have been confirmed dead by police, with state broadcaster Television Espanola adding that 100 people had been injured, 25 seriously.
The driver of one of the trains, which was travelling from Madrid to Huelva, was among those who died, the TV station added.
The cause for the crash is not yet known, Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente told reporters at a press conference in Madrid.
Mr Puente said it was "really strange" that a derailment should have happened on a straight stretch of track. This section of track was renewed in May, he added.
The operator of the first train, Iryo, said in a statement that it deeply regretted what had happened and had activated all emergency protocols to work closely with relevant authorities.
The Iryo train was carrying more than 300 passengers on board.
The second train carrying around 100 passengers was operated by Renfe, which the El Pais newspaper reported was travelling at around 200 kilometres per hour at the moment of impact.
Renfe said the derailment of its train had been caused by the Iryo train derailing into its path, adding that emergency services were still recovering passengers.
Renfe said its president was travelling to the crash site and that it was working to support passengers and their families.
Adif has suspended all rail services between Madrid and the Andalucia region.
'Bags fell from the shelves'
Paco Carmona, Cordoba fire chief, told TVE that while the Iryo train had been evacuated within hours of the accident, the Renfe train's carriages were badly damaged, with twisted metal and seats.
"There are still people trapped. The operation is concentrating on getting people out of areas which are very narrow," he said.
"We have to remove the bodies to reach anyone who is still alive. It is proving to be a complicated task."
Tearful passengers disembarking from a bus at a reception centre spoke briefly to local press.
"There are many injured. I am still trembling," Maria San José, 33, a passenger in coach 6 on the train travelling from Malaga to Madrid, told El Pais newspaper.
A woman named Carmen posted on X that she had also been on board the train to Madrid.
"Ten minutes after departing [from Cordoba] the train started to shake a lot, and it derailed from coach 6 behind us," she wrote.
"The lights went out."
A passenger from the second train, who was not named, told TVE: "There were people screaming, their bags fell from the shelves. I was travelling to Huelva in the fourth carriage, the last, luckily."
The regional government has activated emergency protocols to mobilise more resources to the accident site.
Locals posted on social media that a building would be set up in the village nearest the crash for evacuated passengers to be taken to.
Salvador Jimenez, a journalist for RTVE, told the Spanish broadcaster that passengers had used emergency hammers to smash the windows and climb out.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Spain was enduring a "night of deep pain".
"Today is a night of deep pain for our country owing to the tragic rail accident in Adamuz," he wrote on X.
"I want to express my sincerest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims. No word can alleviate such great suffering, but I want them to know that the whole country is by their side in this tough moment."
The prime minister cleared his diary for Monday to address the tragedy, while the Spanish King and Queen were following events with concern, a spokesperson said.
Foreign embassies sent text messages to staff asking them to confirm they were safe.
Troops have also been deployed from a military base near the crash site to support rescue and recovery efforts, the Military Emergency Service confirmed.
Reuters/AP/ABC
