Death toll in Spain high-speed train derailment rises to 21

At least 21 people were confirmed dead, and 25 others were seriously injured after two high-speed trains derailed and collided near the city of Cordoba in southern Spain.



In addition, around a hundred passengers reportedly suffered minor injuries.



The accident occurred at around 19:45 local time when a train carrying 317 passengers on the Malaga-Madrid route went off the rails for reasons still unknown near Amaduz, about 20 km from Cordoba.



The derailed train struck another high-speed train travelling on an adjacent track from Madrid to Huelva, causing the second train to also leave the rails.



Spain's Transport Minister Oscar Puente described the collision as a "terrible impact," saying the last two wagons of the Malaga-Madrid train derailed and struck the first two wagons of the oncoming train, sending them off the tracks.



Emergency services from the region of Andalusia were deployed on the scene, while local residents had come to help transfer people with minor injuries to a nearby sports centre for first aid.