In a gesture of deep sorrow and ecclesial communion, the Mexican Episcopal Conference (CEM) has issued an official statement expressing its fraternal solidarity with the Spanish Episcopal Conference and the families affected by the tremendous railway accident that occurred in Spain. The document, signed by the president of the CEM, Bishop Ramón Castro Castro, and the general secretary, Héctor M. Pérez Villarreal, highlights the spiritual closeness of the Mexican Church in this moment of mourning for the Spanish people.
The accident occurred on Sunday, January 18, around 7:45 PM local time, near the town of Adamuz, in the province of Córdoba, in the region of Andalucía, in southern Spain. According to preliminary reports, a high-speed train operated by the private company Iryo, traveling from Málaga to Madrid with approximately 289 passengers on board, suffered a derailment in the rear part of its cars. These crossed to the opposite track, colliding head-on with another high-speed train from the public network Renfe, which was heading from Madrid to Huelva with about 200 passengers. The impact was catastrophic, several cars overturned, some fell down an embankment of about 4 meters, and the site became a tangle of twisted metal with bodies scattered hundreds of meters from the collision site.
Spanish authorities have confirmed a tragic toll, at least 41 people deceased, with the number increasing as rescue teams recover bodies from the rubble. More than 150 were injured, of which at least 39 remain hospitalized, including four children in critical condition. Fifteen of the injured are in serious condition. This is the worst railway disaster in Spain in more than a decade, since the Santiago de Compostela accident in 2013. The railway operator Adif has imposed temporary speed limits on other lines, such as the Madrid-Barcelona, due to concerns about the state of the tracks, although the exact cause of the derailment is still under investigation. Experts point to possible infrastructure failures or adverse weather conditions, but human error is not ruled out.
In response to this tragedy, Spain has declared three days of national mourning, with flags at half-mast and commemorative acts throughout the country. The prime minister has promised to «get to the bottom» of what happened, while survivors recount scenes of horror: «It was like an earthquake,» described one of them, who changed cars at the last minute and avoided the worst. Pope Leo XIV, mentioned in the Mexican statement, has expressed his condolences and prayers for the victims, joining the global mourning.
The CEM statement highlights: «With deep sorrow and in a spirit of ecclesial communion, we express our fraternal closeness and solidarity with the Spanish Episcopal Conference, as well as with the families of the victims.» The Mexican bishops join in prayer with the Holy Father, imploring «eternal rest for the deceased, God’s consolation for their families, and the prompt recovery of the injured.» As a sister Church, they raise supplications to the Lord for mercy and entrust the pain to the Virgin of Guadalupe, Mother of hope, so that she may grant «consolation, peace, and strength» to the Spanish people.
The text concludes with a traditional prayer: «Grant them, Lord, eternal rest. And let eternal light shine upon them. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.» This manifestation of faith transcends borders, reminding us of the unity of the Catholic Church in times of adversity.
The statement from the Mexican Episcopal Conference can be read at the following link: