Spanish Prime Minister vows to investigate cause of Deadly High-speed Train Crash

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has pledged to closely monitor the causes of two high-speed trains colliding in southern Spain, an accident that killed at least 40 people, as rescuers continue to examine the remains of the trains.

After visiting the crash site, Sánchez also declared three days of national mourning in honor of the victims.

More than 120 other people were injured after carriages of a train heading to Madrid left the tracks and crossed onto the opposite railway line, then collided with another train travelling towards Adamuz, on Sunday evening.

The accident is the worst to have occurred in the country in more than a decade.

Rail network operator Adif said the accident occurred at 19:45 local time (18:45 GMT) on Sunday, about an hour after one of the trains left Málaga heading north to Madrid, when it derailed on a straight section of track near the city of Córdoba.

According to Transport Minister Óscar Puente, the force of the collision pushed the carriages of the second train onto an embankment. He added that most of the dead and injured were in the front carriages of the second train, which was travelling south from Madrid to Huelva.

Rescue teams said the twisted and badly damaged remains of the train made it difficult to rescue people trapped inside the carriages.

Sánchez visited the scene of the accident along with senior government officials on Monday afternoon.