The death toll from a high-speed train collision in southern Spain rose to 40 on Monday as the government vowed a full investigation into its causes.
The crash late on Sunday is Spain’s deadliest train accident since 2013, when 80 people died after a train veered off a curved section of track outside the northwestern city of Santiago de Compostela.
The latest happened when a train operated by rail company Iryo travelling from Malaga to Madrid derailed near Adamuz in Andalusia.
It crossed onto the other track, where it crashed into an oncoming train, which also derailed.
There are currently 40 confirmed deaths from the accident, the head of the regional government of Andalucia, Juan Manuel Moreno, told a news conference, raising the toll from 39.
“To know with certainty how many deaths have resulted from this terrible accident,” he continued, will take 24 to 48 hours.
The most severely damaged train carriages were lifted by heavy machinery earlier on Monday to improve access to the accident scene for rescuers.
Forty-one of the more than 120 injured victims are still being treated in hospitals in the neighboring city of Cordoba. Moreno remarked.
In an attempt to locate missing passengers, friends and family have taken to social media, uploading pictures.
“This is a day of sorrow for all of Spain, for our entire country,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told reporters during a visit to Adamuz as he declared three days of mourning.
“We will uncover the answer, and once the cause of this tragedy is determined, we will present it with absolute transparency.”
