By Luis Ortega
Adamuz, Spain, Jan 19 (EFE).- The town of Adamuz, in the Spanish province of Córdoba, was plunged into shock, grief and uncertainty on Sunday following a collision between two high-speed trains that killed at least 21 people and injured dozens.
Shortly after 7.30pm on Sunday, the last three cars of a train belonging to Iryo, which had departed from Málaga at 6.40pm bound for Madrid with 317 people on board, derailed and crossed onto the adjacent track, colliding with a Renfe train heading towards Huelva.
The worst of the collision was borne by the first two cars of the Renfe train, carrying 53 of the 200 people on board. These two cars crashed down a 4-meter embankment.
Emergency services rushed to the scene of the accident, a rugged and difficult-to-access area located about 4 kilometers from the town of Adamuz. Access roads to the area were closed to facilitate the entry of emergency vehicles.
Dozens of residents from nearby towns arrived at the access points to provide blankets and drinking water to the emergency personnel who were acting as conduits for the outpouring of support from the residents of Córdoba.
These residents were reeling from the shock of the tragedy, the grief as the death toll gradually emerged, and the uncertainty of what the emergency services might encounter as the hours passed.
The municipal sports center in Adamuz was converted into a makeshift field hospital where those with minor injuries were treated. From there, several buses departed, transporting the uninjured passengers to Málaga, Seville, and Córdoba.
Hard braking
Many of the witnesses told reporters that there were “two very hard braking maneuvers” on the Iryo train, and from then on, “chaos broke out,” with “people falling to the ground” and “a lot of anxiety.”
This anxiety was also true among the relatives of the passengers who traveled to Adamuz and tried to contact their loved ones.
The minister of the presidency of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Antonio Sanz, also went to the center, and shortly afterward, the Andalusian president, Juanma Moreno, warned of “very difficult hours” due to a likely increase in the number of casualties as the night progressed, although a more precise assessment would not be possible until early morning.
For the time being, a court in Montoro has taken charge of the investigation, and members of the Military Emergency Unit are already on site to rescue anyone who may still be trapped, primarily in the train cars that crashed down the embankment and were completely destroyed.
The most seriously injured have been taken to the nearest medical centers, although the majority have been transferred to the Reina Sofía Hospital in Córdoba, where relatives of the passengers continue to arrive, shaken by what happened and the pain of the tragedy. EFE
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