Two high-speed trains collide in Spain, police sources say 24 people killed

A high-speed train derailed and smashed into another oncoming train in southern Spain on Sunday, pushing the second train off the tracks and down an embankment in a collision that police sources confirmed to Reuters had killed at least 24 people.
The accident happened near Adamuz in the province of Cordoba, about 360 km (223 miles) south of the capital Madrid.

Of the 75 people hospitalised, 15 are in serious condition, the chief of Andalucia's regional government, Juanma Moreno, told reporters early on Monday.

There were around 400 passengers on the two trains, most of them Spaniards travelling back to and from Madrid after the weekend. It was unclear how many tourists could be onboard as January is not holiday season in Spain.

The cause for the crash is not yet known, Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente told reporters at a press conference at Atocha station in Madrid, adding it was "really strange" that a derailment should have happened on a straight stretch of track. This section of track was renewed in May, he added.