Death toll in Spain high-speed train crash rises to 43

The death toll from a collision involving two high-speed trains in southern Spain has risen to 43, as recovery operations continue.

Spain’s interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said on Monday that 40 bodies have been recovered and that three additional bodies remain inside cars of the Alvia train. The figures correspond to 43 missing-person reports filed after the crash, according to public broadcaster RTVE.

Grande-Marlaska said 39 people remain hospitalized, including four children. Of the 35 adults receiving treatment, 13 are in intensive care. Emergency services said a total of 122 people were treated following the crash, five of them children.

The collision occurred Sunday evening near the municipality of Adamuz, in the province of Córdoba, when an LD AV Iryo train derailed near track switches and entered an adjacent line, striking an LD AV Alvia train operated by Renfe.

Several cars of the Alvia train plunged down an embankment, complicating rescue and recovery efforts.

Spain’s transport minister Óscar Puente said “all hypotheses are open” regarding the cause of the accident. He said broken rail had been found in multiple locations, but that investigators must determine whether the damage was the cause of the derailment or the result of the collision.

The Spanish government has declared three days of national mourning. During the period, Spain’s national flag will fly at half-staff on all public buildings and naval vessels, according to a decree issued Monday by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.