Two high-speed trains collided on Wednesday morning in the province of Toledo in central Spain, killing at least 10 people according to the state news agency and regional officials, while DW reported that local authorities had confirmed at least 30 deaths.1,2,3,4,5
The crash happened just after 9 a.m. local time between the towns of Mora and Orgaz, near Urda, and involved a Renfe train and an Iryo train travelling on the Madrid-Seville route, officials said. Rail operator Adif suspended traffic on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed line, with service halted between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia.2,3,4,5
Esther Padilla, a spokeswoman for the government of the Castilla-La Mancha region, told local media, "The information we are receiving is not good at all. There are at least 10 dead and it is possible that the number will increase." DW reported that the initial toll of ten had since risen to "at least 30," and NBC News's headline also gave 30. The New York Post, ABC News and France 24 reported at least 10 deaths. Health Minister Monica Garcia told TVE that the crash was a "high impact accident, it will be a major tragedy," but said it was too soon to confirm a final casualty figure.1,2,3,4,5
The cause of the collision has not been established. Padilla told TVE that the accident involved two high-speed trains heading in the same direction from Madrid to Seville, and that one ran into the tail of the other while it was stopped, knocking two of its cars off the track. DW reported that initial reports had suggested the same thing, with one train slamming into the back of a stationary train. The New York Post, citing TVE, described the trains as heading in the same direction. A government spokesperson for the region said two Iryo wagons derailed.2,3,5
Padilla said 397 passengers were aboard the Renfe train and 147 were on the Iryo train. DW reported that the train carrying 397 passengers was operated by AVE. Images from the scene showed at least two severely damaged carriages flipped on their side after tumbling down an embankment. One passenger, Miguel, told the radio station COPE that he heard "a massive roar, a truly enormous thud that went on for 10 seconds as if the train were about to derail." El Pais, citing witnesses, described numerous injuries and the arrival of emergency medical teams at the scene.3,5
Manuel Galan, mayor of Urda, said he had been asked by emergency services to prepare a sports hall to accommodate the injured, and the New York Post reported that civil protection authorities had made the same request of his town hall. Galan told DW, "There has been a collision between two trains," and said "there are injured people." Jesus Perez, mayor of the nearby village of Los Yebenes, told Spanish TV that the accident appeared "serious." The regional president of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano Garcia-Page, wrote on X that he was on his way to the crash site.2,3,5
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a post on X that he was "shocked by the serious train accident in Toledo" and expressed his "affection, solidarity and support to all the victims and their families." The prime minister's public agenda was cleared for the day, and the opposition People's Party cancelled all of its campaign events, a spokesperson said. Adif said in a message on X that traffic on the line had been suspended "following a rear-end collision between two trains."5
The crash comes after a separate accident in January, when a train derailed and smashed into an oncoming train near Adamuz in Cordoba province. The New York Post reported that 45 people died in that crash, while France 24 put the toll at 46. France 24 reported that the January crash, which involved trains from the same operators on the same line, had prompted a debate about the level of investment in railway maintenance in recent years.2,5
The number of injured people had not been determined, and officials had not confirmed a final death toll. Rail service on the Madrid-Andalusia line remained suspended while emergency crews worked at the scene.2,3,5
Garcia added: "We don't just need help from nearby hospitals, we need nearby hospitals that have ICU beds."3
