Two trains collide in central Spain, killing at least 10
RENFE and IRYO services were suspended after a high-speed crash near Toledo.
By Ariana Flores ·
Two high-speed trains collided in central Spain on Wednesday morning, resulting in at least ten deaths. The impact occurred when a moving train struck the rear of a stationary train in the province of Toledo. Two carriages from the stopped train were derailed by the force of the crash.
Esther Padilla, a spokeswoman for the Castilla La Mancha region, confirmed the death toll to state broadcaster TVE. She warned that the number of fatalities would likely increase. Authorities have not yet identified the cause of the accident. Both trains were traveling in the same direction from Madrid toward Seville.
The collision involved a train operated by the state-owned RENFE and another run by the private company IRYO. Padilla reported that 397 passengers were aboard the RENFE train and 147 were on the IRYO train. Spain's rail system operator ADIF suspended rail service between Madrid, Ciudad Real, and Andalusia following the incident.
Manuel Galán, the mayor of the nearby town of Urda, told TVE that injured passengers had been transported to a local sports pavilion. Civil protection authorities requested the facility to help manage the care of those hurt in the crash. Regional president Emiliano García-Page wrote on X that he was traveling to the crash site.
This accident follows a deadly crash in January involving the same two rail companies. In that incident, a train left the tracks and hit an oncoming service, killing 45 people in southern Spain. That January event was the deadliest rail disaster in the country since a 2013 crash that claimed 80 lives.
ADIF has not announced a timeline for resuming service on the affected line. The investigation into the cause of the Wednesday morning crash is ongoing. Local officials continue to coordinate with emergency services at the site of the derailment.
