AILSA CHANG, HOST:
At least 40 people have died in a train accident in Spain that left more than 100 injured. Some are still in serious condition. The accident Sunday night involved two high-speed trains traveling in opposite directions. We're joined now by Miguel Macias from Seville in southern Spain, close to where this accident happened, Hi, Miguel.
MIGUEL MACIAS, BYLINE: Hi, Ailsa.
CHANG: So this collision, it happened along the main line that connects Andalusia, where you are, to Madrid, right? Can you just tell us what is the latest as far as we know?
MACIAS: Well, there's still a lot that is unknown - most importantly, the cause of the accident. But the details are devastating. In addition to those who died, dozens of survivors are still in hospital. Some of them are still fighting for their lives. So, sadly, the death toll is not final. The accident happened when a northbound high-speed train operated by a private company derailed at more than 120 miles per hour. Some of the cars fell into another track and crashed into another train, which was traveling south, exactly the opposite direction, at high speed as well, and this last one operated by Renfe, the state-owned train company. But the thing, Ailsa, is that - that everyone is talking about in Spain is how strange this accident is.
CHANG: Strange? Strange in what way?
MACIAS: Strange as in, it is a complete mystery at this time. And it will take days, if not weeks, to find out what happened. Last night, Transport Minister Oscar Puente spoke to the press and was one of the first one to point out some of the contradictions.
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OSCAR PUENTE: (Speaking Spanish).
MACIAS: "The accident is tremendously strange," Puente said, as the trains were traveling on a straightaway section of the line which included the north- and the southbound tracks. That section of the tracks we just mentioned had been renovated in May 2025. Also, both trains were traveling under the speed limit, so that doesn't seem to be the issue here. Iryo, the operator of the train that derailed, says that their train was inspected just four days ago and that it was made very recently, in 2022, so top technology. Here's the company's president, Carlos Bertomeu, speaking to the press today.
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CARLOS BERTOMEU: (Speaking Spanish).
MACIAS: He seems as baffled as the minister when he said that in a straightaway section and the fact that it was not the first car that derailed but the last cars of the convoy. He's clear - this is a strange accident.
CHANG: So scary. Well, are there at least some few clues that might help us understand what could have happened?
MACIAS: There are some clues that are beginning to be known. For example, it was the last two cars of the train that derailed that fell onto the parallel track. And 20 seconds is the time that may have taken for the two trains to come into contact - not nearly enough time for a train at that speed to stop, of course. Also, to be cautious - we don't know if there's any connection here - but in the past year, Adif, which is the company that handles maintenance of all train tracks in Spain, had pointed at problems in areas that include the place where the accident happened on Sunday. But those problems had been resolved.
CHANG: Well, this train line, which, as I mentioned, connects Seville and Madrid, it was the first high-speed connection built in Spain, is that correct?
MACIAS: Yes, indeed. It was 1992. The world expo in Seville was the reason for bringing high-speed rail to Spain. Slowly, other cities in the South were connected to Madrid as well, but all of those individual lines merge into a single one that goes north, and that connection happens in the region of Cordoba, where the accident took place. It's worth noting, too, that for decades, high speed in Spain was the monopoly of Renfe, the state-owned company. But in 2019, private operators were allowed into the market. So high-speed train traffic from Andalusia to Madrid has increased substantially in the past decade.
CHANG: That is NPR's Miguel Macias in Seville, Spain. Thank you so much, Miguel.
MACIAS: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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