Investigations into the causes of the deadly collision between two high-speed trains near Adamuz, Spain, are in full swing, after experts identified a broken section of rail at the site of the accident.

At the same time, authorities confirmed that the death toll has now risen to 40, with dozens injured and missing, in one of the worst railway tragedies Spain has seen in more than a decade.

How the two high-speed trains collided

The accident occurred late on Sunday night, when carriages of a high-speed train operated by the private company Iryo, traveling from Málaga to Madrid, derailed and collided with a state-owned Renfe train coming from the opposite direction, traveling from Madrid to Huelva.

As a result of the violent collision, the front carriages of the second train ended up on a nearby embankment.

Scenes of chaos and survivors’ testimonies

Passengers who survived described scenes of chaos inside the carriages. One woman, who was traveling on the train bound for Madrid, said the train “suddenly tilted sharply to one side” and immediately afterward “everything went dark and the only thing you could hear were screams.”

Another female passenger, her face covered in bandages, said she crawled out of the carriage through a shattered window, “covered in blood,” with the help of other passengers who had managed to escape, while her sister was freed by firefighters.

“You had people in front of you who were seriously injured and you knew they were going to die, but you couldn’t do anything,” she said characteristically.

A local resident who arrived at the scene shortly after the collision described images of “death and destruction.” He said he used a four-wheel motorcycle to help transport around 16 injured people to first-aid points.

40 dead – 41 hospitalized

The head of the regional government of Andalusia, Juan Manuel Moreno, said that 40 people lost their lives, while 41 remain hospitalized.

Relatives and friends of passengers gathered at Reina Sofía Hospital in Córdoba seeking information about the fate of their loved ones.

Broken section of track: “Cause or consequence”

Transport Minister Óscar Puente said the broken section of rail that was found “could be either the cause or the result” of the derailment, stressing that it is too early to draw conclusions.

He noted that the accident is “extremely unusual,” as it occurred on a straight section of track that had recently been renovated as part of a €700 million investment, while the trains were traveling below the permitted speed limit.

“We will get to the truth with full transparency”

From Adamuz, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pledged that the government “will get to the truth” and that the public will be informed with “absolute transparency.” He also announced three days of national mourning and canceled his participation in the World Economic Forum in Davos.

At the same time, he assured that the state will support the victims and their families “for as long as it takes.”

Delay in reopening the line

The transport minister estimated that the high-speed line affected by the accident is unlikely to be fully reopened before next month, as both the investigation and restoration work are still ongoing.