Spain has entered a period of national mourning following a catastrophic train collision in the south of the country that has claimed at least 40 lives. Flags are flying at half-mast across the nation as emergency teams continue the grim task of searching for more victims in the wreckage.
A Nation in Mourning After Catastrophic Collision
The official death toll from Sunday's accident rose to 40 by late Monday, but authorities have warned this figure is not yet definitive. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska stated that searchers believe they have located three more bodies still trapped in the mangled carriages, which are not included in the current count.
The disaster unfolded at 7:45 p.m. on Sunday near the town of Adamuz in Andalusia. According to rail operator Adif, the tail end of a train carrying 289 passengers from Malaga to Madrid derailed and slammed into an oncoming service travelling from Madrid to Huelva.
The impact was devastating. The head of the second train, which was carrying nearly 200 people, bore the brunt of the collision. The force knocked its first two carriages off the rails, sending them tumbling down a steep 4-metre (13-foot) slope. Andalusia's regional president, Juanma Moreno, described the scene as "a twisted mass of metal" and confirmed that some bodies were found hundreds of metres from the main crash site.
Investigation Focuses on Broken Rail Section
Officials have launched an investigation into the causes of what Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente has labelled a "strange" incident. The crash occurred on a straight section of track, and neither train was reported to be speeding at the time.
However, a significant clue emerged late on Monday. Minister Puente revealed that investigators had discovered a broken section of track at the scene. "Now we have to determine if that is a cause or a consequence of the derailment," Puente told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser.
Royal Visit and National Grief
In response to the tragedy, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the accident site on Monday and declared three days of official mourning. The decree orders flags to be lowered on all public buildings and navy vessels.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia are scheduled to visit the area on Tuesday to offer their condolences. Meanwhile, Spain's Civil Guard is collecting DNA samples from distraught family members who fear their loved ones are among the unidentified dead, a sombre process underscoring the human cost of the disaster.
As the nation grieves, the focus remains on the recovery operation and the urgent investigation to understand how such a tragedy could occur on a modern rail network.
