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After the crash of a train in Spain, passengers describe their terror and screams.
The survivors of the high-speed train crash in southern Spain described Sunday night the impact moment as a violent jolt followed by screaming, flying objects, and blood. When the accident occurred, the trains were carrying 400 people. It happened in Cordoba province, around 360 km south of Madrid. According to emergency services, 122 people were injured. 48 are still hospitalized and 12 remain in intensive care. On Monday, most survivors admitted that they had no idea of the magnitude of the tragedy until they went outside to see the injured or dead passengers and the rescuers at work under floodlights. "I began to get up and thought, This isn't right. I then looked for my younger sister. It was the last thing I remembered before everything went "dark", said Ana Garcia Aranda (26), who had just returned from Malaga after visiting her family with her sister, and their dog. She was rescued by other passengers who had broken the windows of her carriage. "Some people were okay and others were very, extremely badly injured." "You knew they would die and you could do nothing," she said while wearing plasters to her face. Later, firefighters rescued her sister and brought her to the hospital where she is currently in intensive care. Emergency vehicles filled the narrow roads as sirens echoed throughout the night. Residents of Adamuz say the entire town mobilised to bring water, food, and blankets to the stranded passengers. Salvador Jimenez said, "That will not be forgotten", a journalist from the Spanish public broadcaster RTVE who was rescued from one of those trains. In the end, this is a lottery. "Many of us were lucky." Paqui, whose farm is in the region and who rushed with her husband to the scene, remembers the horrific scenes inside and around the train. "Pieces of people, they weren't any more people. You found arms." "My husband saw a child who died inside... Another child calling for his mom, searching for his mom," she said. "I cannot sleep. Those are images that you will never forget." Raquel, another passenger, told Cadena Ser radio: "I was thrown out of the back cabin, and I opened the door with the top of my head." She added that she briefly fell unconscious before walking towards the firefighters. (Reporting and writing by Nina Lopez; Leonardo Benassatto; Susana Vera; Jesus Calero. Editing by Andrei Khalip, Sharon Singleton, and Sharon Singleton.)
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Spain's deadliest train disasters
In the worst rail accident to hit Spain since 2013, a high-speed derailment and collision with another train near Adamuz in the province Cordoba on Sunday night killed at least 39 people. According to?emergency medical services, 122 people were?injured in the collision, 48 of whom are still hospitalized and 12 in intensive-care units. The most recent train accidents in Spain are listed first. SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA (2013 ) A high-speed eight-car train veered onto a sharp curve near the city of Santiago de Compostela in the northwest of Spain, crashing into a wall of concrete and bursting into fire. The accident left 80 dead and 145 wounded. The Transport Ministry's?commission determined that speeding was the cause of the accident, and the driver had been distracted by an incoming call. However, the victims association blamed not only human error, but also the security systems on the train. MADRID TRAIN BOMBINGS (4) On?March 11, 2004 ten backpacks bombs detonated in four Cercanias commuter train, killing 193 people and injuring a large number of others during rush hour. The attacks were carried out by Islamist extremists who opposed Spain's involvement in the Iraq War. EL CUERVO (1972) In 1972, an accident caused by a head on collision between two trains along the Cadiz to Seville route left 86 dead and over 150 injured in El Cuervo. According to a Renfe investigation, the accident was caused because a driver failed to stop at a'red light' at El Cuervo Station. URDULIZ (1997) In the summer of 1970, a head-on collision between two trains in Urduliz near Bilbao killed 33 people. The accident was first blamed on a stationmaster, but later it emerged that he worked 16-hour days for four consecutive days. GRISEN (1965). A train traveling the Madrid-Barcelona line caught fire near Zaragoza in 1965, killing many passengers. The?train driver claimed at the time that thirty people had died. Later reports claim the true death toll is up to eighty and the Francoist regime tried to minimize it. TORRE DEL BIERZO RIAIL DISASTER (1944) Three?trains crashed in 1944 in El Bierzo, a region in Spain's province of Leon. The death toll is still debated because of the censorship that took place under Franco. A train traveling from Madrid to A Coruna experienced a brake failure, colliding with a train inside a tunnel. A third train then entered the same gallery before it crashed into the wreckage.
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South Africa mourns the 13 schoolchildren who died in a minibus crash
South Africa mourned Monday the deaths of 13 schoolchildren killed when their minibus collided into a truck. Local officials released a statement in response to the incident, which brought attention to the poor road safety record in the country. Officials said that three other children were being treated in hospitals for injuries after the incident near the industrial Vanderbijlpark City south of Johannesburg. According to a police official, the accident could have been caused by a dangerous overtaking maneuver, according to broadcaster Newzroom Afrika. The official also said that a case of culpable murder would be filed. In a statement, President Cyril Ramaphosa offered condolences and expressed his concern for the victims' families, friends, and teachers. He said that "we must do all we can to protect our learners." Last week, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy stated that the number of road deaths in South Africa was "a reason for national shame", despite a decline in fatalities last year. In 2025 there were 11,418 road deaths, which is about 6% less than the previous year but still equal to an average of 31 deaths per day. Creecy stated that the fatalities were mostly due to drink-driving and speeding. (Reporting and editing by Alexander Winning, Bernadettebaum and Anathi Madubela)
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UK Starmer calls on a 'calm conversation' to avoid a trade war with the US over Greenland
Keir starmer, British Prime Minister, called for calm discussions on Monday to avoid a possible trade war between the United States and Greenland. He appealed to President Donald Trump to "respect" alliances like NATO instead of undermining them. Starmer tried to deescalate the verbal war by essentially ruling out any retaliatory measures against the United States in the event that Trump followed through on his threat to impose import tariffs from Britain and other seven countries unless Greenland was made available to the United States. He used an early morning Press Conference He said that "pragmatic doesn't mean passive" to describe the values underlying his approach towards Trump. STARMER SAYS THAT TARIFFS SHOULD not be used against allies Starmer, who had told Trump on Sunday that the tariffs he was threatening were incorrect, doubled down and said he would "use all of government's strength" to try to stop this U.S. move, which, he claimed, could only harm already stretched families. Starmer added that he did not want to escalate the tariff war. "A tariff battle is not in anyone's interest, and we haven't reached that stage." My focus is to make sure that we do not reach this stage. Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on imports of goods from eight countries that sent small numbers military personnel to Greenland in the past week. This follows Trump's repeated claims he wants to seize Denmark's vast Arctic Island to ensure U.S. safety. Starmer claimed he Tell Trump On Sunday, these forces were "clearly" there to assess the risk posed by Russians and take action. He expressed his hope that "real clarity" had now been achieved. The British Prime Minister signaled that his approach would be different from the European Union's, which has discussed several options for a response, including a Tariffs and tariff packages Imports from the U.S. totaling 107.7 billion dollars (93 billion euros). He said that instead, Britain should nurture a relationship crucial to UK security, intelligence, and defence with the United States, while opposing the tariff threat, and working diplomatically in order to avoid it. Starmer warned that the threats could lead to a "downwards spiral" in Britain's trade, and a weakening of its alliances. "I don't want to see that," he said. But he added, "That doesn’t mean we put our principles and values to the side." We're clear on what our values and principles are. Starmer has a strong relationship with Trump. In May of last year, he was the first leader who secured a deal for a reduction in some tariffs. When asked if Trump is seriously considering his views, Trump replied that he did not believe this. Military action Starmer replied: "No, I don't." I believe that this issue can and should be resolved by calm discussion. (Reporting and writing by Sam Tabahriti; editing by Sarah Young; and Andrew Heavens; and writing by Kate Holton, Elizabeth Piper and Alistair Smout; Catarina demony, Sarah Young; James Davey; and Paul Sandle.
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The Russian-owned Serbian refinery has enough crude oil to run through February
Serbia's majority Russian owned oil company NIS announced on Monday that it had enough crude to keep its refinery running through February, after resuming imports under a newly-waived U.S. sanction waiver. NIS, in a?statement? on its website, confirmed the statement of energy minister Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic, and announced that it had restarted its Pancevo refining plant, Serbia's sole refinery. It was reported that the first diesel quantities should be on sale on January 27. The refinery will be working throughout the month of February, it stated. "Further Work?will be coordinated?with decisions on enabling?operational activities of the company." In October, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of Treasury sanctioned NIS, in which Russia's Gazprom and Gazprom have majority stakes. This was part of broader sanctions targeting Russia's oil sector in response to Moscow's conflict in Ukraine. NIS has been?granted an exemption from sanctions by OFAC up until January 23. This allows it to import crude through Croatia's JANAF pipeline. The company has until the end of March to complete the sale of the Russian stakes. It is currently in the middle of negotiations with MOL, a Hungarian firm. Peter Szijjarto, the Hungarian foreign minister, said that he expected that OFAC would approve the initial deal in the next few days. Gazprom owns 11.3% of NIS and Gazprom neft 44.9%. Serbian government owns 29.9% of NIS. (Reporting and editing by Louise Heavens, Ivana Sekularac)
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Kenya launches IPO of state oil pipeline company, aims to raise $825 Million
Kenya sold a 65% share in its oil pipeline firm on Monday. The company hoped to raise $825 million through the largest IPO ever for East Africa. This sale is part a campaign by the government of President William Ruto to divest state companies in order to raise money for new infrastructure and sovereign wealth funds. The government is also selling its stake in the?telecoms company Safaricom. Documents indicating the IPO price for Kenya?Pipeline Company showed that the government set the price at nine shillings a share. The sale will run until February 19 and the shares will be listed for trading on the Nairobi exchange on March 9. Kenya Pipeline IPO is the largest in the region, surpassing the initial sale of Safaricom to the public that the government made in 2008 for?50 billion shillings. The announcement comes as the equity capital markets are recovering globally and stock markets have reached record highs. According to LSEG data, equity capital markets activity will total $738.4 billion by 2025. This is a 15% increase year-on-year. It marks the highest annual period of global equity?capital market activity in four years. Over a fifth was raised by European, Middle East and African issuers through equity capital markets offerings.
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Reports say that at least 11 children were killed in a minibus crash in South Africa.
South African media reported that at least 11 schoolchildren died on Monday morning after a minibus collided with a truck in a city south of Johannesburg. The South African Broadcasting Corporation, a public broadcaster, said that five other students sustained "critical" injuries in the incident. They were on their way to a hospital for urgent medical treatment. The emergency services are at the scene. The government of South Africa is working to improve the country's road safety record. According to the data released last week, there were 11,418 road fatalities in Canada during 2018. This is 6% less than the number of 2024. According to the Transport Ministry, reckless driving such as speeding and drinking while driving are amongst the leading causes of road fatalities. Last week, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy said it was time for a change in the law. She suggested that the legal limit of alcohol consumption while driving be scrapped and replaced with a zero tolerance approach.
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Reports from RTVE show that the death toll in Spain due to a high-speed train crash has risen to 39.
According to RTVE, citing sources from the police, the death toll in Sunday's collision of a derailing high speed train with a second approaching train has risen?to?39, while 152 others were injured. The accident occurred at 7:45 pm local time (1845 GMT), on Sunday, near Adamuz. This is about 360 km south of Madrid. RTVE reports that over 200 trains between Madrid, southern Andalucia and major cities Cordoba and Seville were cancelled on Monday. In a Monday statement, his office announced that Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had set out "his agenda" for the day. On Sunday, a video from the scene was shared on social media. It showed rescuers pulling people from the sideways twisted carriages under the floodlights. Some passengers were able to climb out of the smashed window, while others had to be wheeled on stretchers. Around 400 passengers were on both trains. Most of them were Spaniards returning to Madrid from the weekend. As January is not a holiday season in Spain, it was unclear how many tourists might be on board. At a press briefing held at the Atocha Station in Madrid, Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente said that it was not yet clear what caused the crash. (Reporting and editing by David Latona; Victoria Waldersee)
What happened in Spain's high speed train crash?
The train derailment and collision that occurred in southern Spain on Sunday killed 39 people, and injured 122 others. Officials emphasized the "tremendously bizarre" nature of the accident which took place along a straight section of rail.
What we know about the situation so far is:
The accident occurred at 7:45 pm (1845 GMT) in the province Cordoba about 360 km (225 miles) south of Madrid.
The two trains were operated by two different private companies, Iryo and Alvia. Both are run by Spain's national railway company, Renfe.
The two last carriages from the eight-car trademark-red Iryo train travelling from Malaga, Spain to Madrid, derailed and collided with the Alvia. This caused the Alvia's two first carriages to fall and derail down a five-metre (16.4 feet) embankment.
What Officials Are Saying According to Renfe Chief Alvaro Fernandez Heredia who said that human error is virtually eliminated, there was only a 20 second interval between the derailment of the train and the impact.
He said that it would take some time to determine whether the failure was in the infrastructure or rolling stock.
Officials stated that the Alvia appeared to have hit derailed carriages of the Iryo or the undercarriage debris. Renfe's chief confirmed that the 27-year old driver of the Alvia died in the accident.
Iryo was carrying 300 passengers and had just left Cordoba, a historic city. Its speed was 110 kph at the time of the accident, which is well below the 250 kph maximum on this stretch.
Renfe reported that the oncoming train was traveling at a speed 205 km/h.
In the first Alvia carriage, 37 people were killed and 16 injured. The majority of those killed and injured were from the first two?Alvia carriages.
Oscar Puente, Transport Minister, said the Iryo was less than four-years-old and the track had been completely reconstructed last May for an investment of 800 million euros. Iryo stated that the train's last inspection was on January 15
Puente described the accident as "tremendously bizarre" and stated that the derailment may not have caused any deaths if it wasn't for the approaching train.
Jose Trigueros of the Association of Road Engineers said that his preliminary analysis of information and images released by the authorities indicated "failure of undercarriage of back units" of Iryo train.
Previous PROBLEMS
According to a copy seen by, the train drivers' union SEMAF warned the state-owned rail infrastructure manager ADIF of the severe wear and tear on the railway track, where the two collided trains, stating that potholes and bumps as well as imbalances of overhead power lines caused frequent breakdowns.
ADIF did not immediately respond to an inquiry for comment.
A review of alerts from ADIF's X page shows that it had previously reported infrastructure problems at Adamuz. These ranged from?signaling failures to overhead power line issues, which caused high-speed train delays between Madrid and Andalusia ten times since 2022. Last year, the government was criticized for a number of delays in the network caused by 'power outages' and theft of copper cable from the lines. Cable theft is a problem for the network, as it crosses vast swathes?of empty countryside.
According to ADIF, Spain's 3,622 km high-speed rail network is the largest in Europe, and second in the world, after China.
In 2020, Spain will open its high-speed railway network to private competition to provide low-cost alternatives for Renfe’s AVE trains.
Iryo is a partnership between the Italian state railway operator Ferrovie dello Stato and Spanish infrastructure fund Globalvia. It started operating in November 20, starting with the Madrid to Barcelona route, and then expanding to other major cities.
The Iryo ETR1000 is produced by Hitachi Rail Bombardier in Europe, for Trenitalia's Ferrovie unit. Renfe's Alvia train is made by local manufacturers CAF and Talgo. Reporting by Victoria Waldersee; editing by Sharon Singleton.
(source: Reuters)