Saudi leaders send condolences to king of Spain after dozens die in train crash

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. (SPA)
Short Url
Updated 19 January 2026
Follow

Saudi leaders send condolences to king of Spain after dozens die in train crash

  • At least 40 people dead and 43 in hospital following a collision between two trains on a high-speed line in southern Spain

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent their condolences to King Felipe VI of Spain on Monday following a train crash the previous night in which at least 40 people died.

Two trains collided on a high-speed line in the town of Adamuz, near Cordoba in southern Spain. At least 43 people remained in hospital on Monday afternoon, nine of them in serious condition, authorities said. They warned that the death toll could rise.

The incident is the worst rail crash in Spain since a derailment in Galicia in 2013 in which 80 people were killed and 140 injured.


Saudi-Yemen program provides $81.2m to operate more than 70 power plants

Updated 21 January 2026
Follow

Saudi-Yemen program provides $81.2m to operate more than 70 power plants

  • Grant will improve reliability of electrical power to critical facilities, including hospitals, medical centers, roads, schools, airports and ports
  • Move follows last week’s announcement by the SDRPY of a larger aid package totaling $506 million to support Yemen

LONDON: A tripartite agreement was signed on Wednesday between the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen, the oil company Petromasila, and Yemen’s Ministry of Energy and Electricity to supply petroleum derivatives for the country’s power plants.

SDRPY is supporting the Yemeni government with an $81.2 million grant to purchase 339 million liters of diesel and mazut from Petromasila to operate more than 70 power plants across various Yemeni governorates.

The grant follows last week’s announcement by the SDRPY of a $506 million aid package to support Yemen’s education, health, government and infrastructure sectors.

The SDRPY highlighted that the grant will improve the reliability of electrical power to critical facilities, including hospitals, medical centers, roads, schools, airports and ports. Additionally, the funding will stimulate the Yemeni economy and support the Central Bank of Yemen by easing the pressure on foreign exchange reserves.

It reduces the Ministry of Finance’s fuel-related financial burden and supports the Ministry of Electricity and Energy in improving the efficiency of power plants in Yemen, the SDRPY said.

In 2018, the SDRPY provided $180 million, in addition to $422 million in 2021 and another $200 million in 2022, as grants to Yemen to purchase oil derivatives and operate vital sectors of the country.