Spain train crash survivor describes 'earthquake' feeling as train derailed and killed 39 people

A man has described the horrific moment a train derailed in southern Spain on Sunday (January 18), killing at least 39 people.

The incident occurred in Adamuz, near the city of Córdoba, when one train appeared to leave the track and collide with another service heading the other way.

A train traveling from the coastal town of Málaga to the country's capital, Madrid, is thought to have come off the rails first, smashing into another train going from Madrid to Huelva, which then derailed and fell down an embankment.

Some 400 people, including passengers and staff, were on board the trains, with Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente saying that the total death toll 'is not yet final'.

Among the deceased is thought to be a train driver, according to sources at the Ministry of Transport.

At least 73 passengers were hospitalized, with 24 seriously injured, including four children. More than a dozen are in critical condition.

The incident is the deadliest train crash in Spain in at least a decade, with an investigation into its cause having now been launched.

According to the BBC, Puente has said the investigation won't determine a cause for at least a month.

Salvador Jimenez, a reporter for Spanish network RTVE, who was traveling in the front of one of the trains, recalled the terrifying moment of the crash, comparing the impact to an 'earthquake.'

As per the publication, he said: "I was in the first carriage. There was a moment when it felt like an earthquake, and the train had indeed derailed.

"They immediately called for medical personnel who could help, they used hammers to break the windows, and in the end, they evacuated us."

Others went on to describe their experience, as one passenger known only as José, who was traveling to Madrid, told public broadcaster Canal Sur: "There were people and screaming, calling for doctors."

Another terrified passenger opened up on the moment leading up to the crash on X, saying: "Ten minutes after departing [from Córdoba] the train started to shake a lot, and it derailed from coach six behind us. The lights went out."

Elsewhere, Puente described the derailment as 'extremely strange', noting that it occurred on a straight stretch of track repaired as recently as May 2025.

He added that the majority of casualties had occurred in the first two carriages of the second train.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the deadly crash as a 'night of deep pain'. Meanwhile, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia issued 'heartfelt condolences to the relatives and loved ones of the dead, as well as our love and wishes for a swift recovery to the injured'.

Sunday's crash was Spain's most significant since 2013, when the country suffered its worst high-speed train derailment in Galicia, north-west Spain, in which 80 people were killed, and 140 more were injured.