At least 40 dead, dozens injured after high-speed trains collide in Spain

The cause of the accident has not yet been confirmed, but Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente called it “really strange” because it occurred on a flat section of track that had been renovated in May.

He said the train that jumped the track was less than four years old. This train belonged to the private company Iryo, while the second train, which was most affected by the impact, belonged to the Spanish state railway company, Renfe.

Puente added that the rear portion of the first train derailed and crashed into the head of the other train, sending its first two cars off the track and down a 13-foot slope. He said the most serious damage was to the front part of the Renfe train.

Iryo said in a post on X that he “deeply regrets” what happened and that he has activated all emergency protocols. Renfe chief Álvaro Fernández Heredia called the incident “a tragedy that affects us all.”

Video verified by NBC News shows the aftermath of the crash, with one of the badly mangled trains leaning on its side as a passenger tries to climb out of the window.

Salvador Jiménez, a journalist for the Spanish channel RTVE, was on board one of the trains that derailed and told the channel by telephone that “there was a moment when it felt like an earthquake and the train had indeed derailed.”

He said the passengers used emergency hammers to break the windows and some escaped without serious injuries.