Spain Reels After High-Speed Rail Collision Claims 39 Lives and Injures Scores, Survivors Recall a Night of Fear

The trip began like any other — quiet conversations, passing scenery, the rhythm of rails underfoot. Then a thunderous jolt shattered the calm. The train bucked violently, lights flickered, and bodies were thrown as metal screamed against metal. In seconds, routine travel turned into chaos. When the motion finally stopped, a stunned silence filled the air, broken only by distant cries — the moment everyone realized their ordinary journey had become something they would never forget.