At least 39 people have died and dozens more have been injured after two high-speed trains collided in southern Spain, the country's Civil Guard has said.
The incident near the city of Córdoba has been described by local officials as Spain's worst rail crash in more than a decade.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is expected to visit the scene later on Monday, where rescue efforts are ongoing.
Here’s what we know about the incident so far.
The crash occurred at around 19:45 local time (18:45 GMT) on Sunday, about an hour after one of the trains departed Málaga for Madrid. The train derailed and crossed over to the opposite track, operator Adif said. It then collided with an oncoming train travelling from south Madrid to Huelva, which was forced into an embankment running alongside the track.
The majority of those killed and injured were in the front carriages of the Huelva-bound train, according to Spain's Transport Minister Óscar Puente.
What caused the train to derail remains unclear. Officials say an investigation has been launched but it is not expected to determine what happened for at least a month. Puente has described the crash as extremely strange and said all the railway experts consulted by the government are extremely baffled by the accident. The president of Spain's state-owned rail operator, Renfe, discarded the possibility of excessive speed or human error involving the trains, suggesting a mechanical fault or an infrastructure issue as more likely causes.
There were around 400 passengers and staff on the trains involved. Rescue teams are currently working to find and assist survivors, as some passengers remain trapped within the twisted wreckage. The president of the Andalusian regional government stated that heavy machinery might be needed to lift parts of the second train, which suffered extensive damage.
The victims have not yet been identified, and the death toll may rise as investigations continue. About 112 individuals have received medical attention, with 43 remaining hospitalized, including four minors.
Passengers described the moment of impact as feeling like an earthquake, leading to chaos within the carriages. Surviving passengers have shared distressing accounts of the events that unfolded during the crash.
