30 killed as two high-speed trains collide in Spain

Spanish authorities initially confirmed 10 deaths, but Esther Padilla, a spokeswoman for the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, warned that the toll was likely to rise. State news agency EFE and other media outlets later reported that at least 30 people had died.

The accident occurred in the province of Toledo on Wednesday morning, according to Spain’s rail infrastructure operator ADIF. Train services between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia were suspended following the crash.

Padilla told state broadcaster TVE that the two high-speed trains, carrying hundreds of passengers from Madrid towards Seville in southwestern Spain, were travelling in the same direction when one struck the rear of the other, which had stopped. The collision forced two carriages off the tracks. The cause of the accident remained unknown.

The crash site was located on a flat stretch of land surrounded by fields between the towns of Urda and Los Yébenes. Images from the scene showed one carriage torn apart, with twisted metal and debris scattered down a gravel slope.

Spanish Health Minister Mónica García told TVE that emergency teams were concentrating on rescuing survivors and recovering bodies from the two most severely damaged carriages. The injured were being transported to hospitals in the surrounding area.

“Given the high-speed impact, we are expecting this to be a tragedy,” García said.

The collision involved trains operated by state-owned RENFE and private rail company IRYO. Spanish media reported that the RENFE train appeared to have struck the IRYO service. Trains operated by the two companies were also involved in a deadly accident in January.

Padilla said 397 passengers were aboard the RENFE train, while the IRYO train was carrying 147 passengers.

IRYO, an Italian-owned railway company, said it had activated its safety protocols and was working closely with the authorities.

Manuel Galán, mayor of the nearby town of Urda, told TVE that civil protection officials had asked the local administration to prepare a sports pavilion to receive and assist injured passengers.

A military emergency response unit was deployed alongside firefighters, police and other emergency personnel to assist at the crash site.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez cancelled his scheduled engagements to focus on the disaster. In a post on X, he said he was deeply distressed by the serious train accident in Toledo and expressed sympathy for the victims and their families.

Castilla-La Mancha regional president Emiliano García-Page also announced on X that he was travelling to the scene.

The latest accident is the second major train disaster in Spain this year. In January, 45 people died in southern Spain when a derailed train collided with an oncoming service. It was the country's deadliest rail accident since a 2013 crash that killed 80 people.

The January disaster raised concerns about the safety of Spain's extensive high-speed railway network, reports UNB.