In brief
Following a catastrophic train accident in southern Spain on Sunday evening, recovery operations continue as authorities investigate the cause. At least 41 people are confirmed dead and more than 120 injured when two trains collided near Adamuz, with investigations now focusing on a potential faulty rail weld. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has announced three days of mourning as families await news of their loved ones. Officials stress the need for thorough investigations to prevent future tragedies.
Heavy machinery is being used to assist in the recovery following a two-train crash in southern Spain which killed at least 41 people.
Rescuers worked through a second night as more bodies are feared to be trapped in the wreckage.
More than 120 people were injured when carriages on a Madrid-bound train derailed and crossed over to the opposite tracks, hitting an oncoming train in Adamuz on Sunday evening.
A faulty or damaged weld on a rail is being investigated as a factor in the crash, Spanish media report.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has cancelled his planned trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, pledging to get to the bottom of Spain's worst train disaster in more than a decade.
Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia will visit the site later on Tuesday.
Three days of national mourning have been announced.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente said the death toll 'is not yet final'. Officials are working to identify the dead.
Puente said the investigation could take at least a month, describing the incident as 'extremely strange'. Spanish media report that a 30cm gap in one of the rails is the current focus of the investigation.
Four hundred passengers and staff were on board the two trains, the rail authorities said. Emergency services treated 122 people, with 41, including children, still in hospital. Of those, 12 are in intensive care.
Most of those killed and injured were in the front carriages of the Huelva-bound train, officials said.
Salvador Jimenez, a journalist with RTVE who was on one of the trains, said the impact felt like an 'earthquake'.
Footage from the scene appears to show some train carriages had tipped over on their sides. Rescue workers can be seen scaling the train to pull people out of the lopsided train doors and windows.
