Six-Year-Old Survives as Family Dies in Andalusia Train Collision

LEAD: A Civil Guard officer found a 6-year-old girl barefoot on the tracks after two trains collided near Adamuz in Córdoba province, leaving her the only surviving member of the Zamorano Álvarez family and with a minor head wound treated with three stitches, La Vanguardia and the Punta Umbría town hall said.

CONTEXT: The collision occurred when a high-speed train traveling from Málaga to Madrid derailed and crossed onto an oncoming track, striking a train from Madrid to Huelva near Adamuz in Andalucía for reasons officials have not yet determined, regional authorities and multiple Spanish media outlets reported.

RESPONSE: Punta Umbría Mayor José Carlos Hernández led a minute of silence and called the girl's survival "a miracle," and the mayor's office said she is now staying with her grandparents in Córdoba after initial care at a local hospital.

SCALE: Regional authorities and Spanish media reported at least 41 people were killed and dozens injured in the crash, with some outlets reporting 42 fatalities, and Spain declared three days of national mourning beginning Monday, according to official statements.

FORWARD: Investigators from Spain's railway safety agency and prosecutors have opened inquiries into the cause of the derailment and will examine wreckage and on-board data in the coming days while emergency teams continue recovery operations, officials said.