Toll in Spain train collision rises to at least 39 dead as rescuers search for more bodies

ADAMUZ, Spain (AP) — Spanish police said Monday that at least 39 people died in the high-speed train collision Sunday in southern Spain and rescue efforts were continuing. The collision occurred when the tail end of a train traveling between Malaga and Madrid with some 300 passengers went off the rails near Cordoba at 7:45 p.m. It slammed into a train coming from Madrid to Huelva, another southern Spanish city, according to rail operator Adif. Rescue efforts were still underway Monday morning. Andalusia regional President Juanma Moreno said 75 passengers were hospitalized, with most taken to Cordoba, about 390 kilometers (242 miles) south of Madrid. The Spanish Red Cross set up a help center in the town of Adamuz, near the crash site, offering assistance to emergency services and people seeking information. Members of Spain’s civil guard and civil defense worked on site throughout the night. Spain’s Transport Minister Óscar Puente early Monday said the cause of the crash was unknown. He called it “a truly strange” incident because it happened on a flat stretch of track that had