Spanish authorities have confirmed that 45 people lost their lives in last weekend’s high-speed rail collision in southern Spain, bringing closure to the search for victims as investigators continue to examine the causes of one of the country’s deadliest train disasters in more than a decade.
The final toll was announced on Thursday evening by the national body responsible for coordinating information following the crash, after two additional bodies were recovered from the wreckage earlier in the day. During an intensified search operation at the scene, emergency services found the victims inside heavily damaged carriages.
The collision occurred on Sunday in the Andalusia region when a high-speed train operated by state-owned Renfe struck another service run by private operator Iryo. The impact occurred because the second train derailed and crossed onto the adjacent track. The crash inflicted injuries on more than 120 passengers.
Fernando Domínguez, head of the Civil Guard unit leading the investigation, said rescue teams located the final victims after re-examining two carriages that had suffered extensive structural damage. Authorities confirmed that most of those killed were Spanish nationals, with three foreign victims—women from Morocco, Russia, and Germany.
Spain observed three days of national mourning following the disaster, which has shocked a country widely regarded as a leader in high-speed rail infrastructure. The crash took place on a recently upgraded stretch of straight, level track, a factor that has added to official puzzlement. The transport minister has described the circumstances as “extremely strange”, underscoring the scale of the investigation now underway.
A succession of further rail incidents in the days that followed have heightened public anxiety. A commuter train near Barcelona collided with a collapsed retaining wall on Tuesday, resulting in the death of the driver and the injuries of 37 passengers. The accident, believed to be linked to recent heavy rainfall, led to the suspension of Catalonia’s Rodalies commuter network, which serves hundreds of thousands of daily users.
The regional government initially expected to resume services on Thursday, but only a handful of drivers reported for duty, causing operations to remain halted. Officials announced no firm timeline for the return of trains until they completed joint inspections with staff.
Rail unions have raised concerns over infrastructure safety, pointing to landslides and maintenance issues. The Semaf train drivers’ union has called a nationwide strike from 9 to 11 February, citing repeated safety failures and a lack of guarantees for staff and passengers. The transport ministry has declared its intention to prevent industrial action and emphasised the lack of connection between the recent incidents.
The list of accidents grew again on Thursday when a commuter train in the southeastern region of Murcia collided with a crane mounted on a truck near the municipality of Alumbres. Six people sustained minor injuries and were taken to hospital. Local officials said the train did not derail and that the vehicle involved belonged to an electricity company carrying out work near the tracks.
As Spain searches for answers to the Andalusia disaster, the spate of incidents has intensified scrutiny of the country’s rail network, placing renewed pressure on authorities to reassure the public over safety in one of Europe’s busiest and most extensive high-speed systems.
