39 killed, dozens injured in train collision in Spain

International

AT LEAST 39 people were killed and more than 100 others were injured in a train collision in southern Spain on Sunday.

Described as the country's worst rail crash in more than a decade, the incident happened when carriages on a Madrid-bound train derailed, crossed over to the opposite tracks and collided with an oncoming train in Adamuz.

Spain's Civil Guard said 400 passengers and staff were onboard both trains.

A report by BBC said emergency services treated 122 people, with 48, including five children, still in hospital. Of those, 11 adults and one child are in intensive care.

Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente said the death toll "is not yet final" as investigation is ongoing.

Puente described the incident as "extremely strange" that even railway experts consulted by the government "are extremely baffled by the accident."

Rail network operator Adif said the collision happened at 19:45 local time (18:45 GMT), about an hour after the train left Málaga heading north to Madrid, when it derailed on a straight stretch of track near the city of Córdoba.

The type of train involved in the crash was a Freccia 1000, which can reach top speeds of 400 km/h (250 mph).