High-speed train crash kills 30 in Toledo

A high-speed train collided with the rear of a stopped train on Wednesday morning in the province of Toledo, central Spain. The impact derailed two cars and killed at least 30 people, according to local media reports.

Spanish authorities initially reported 10 deaths. Esther Padilla, spokeswoman for the Castilla-La Mancha region, told state broadcaster TVE that the number would likely rise. The state-owned news agency EFE later reported the death toll had reached at least 30.

Rail system operator ADIF confirmed the crash occurred on a flat stretch of track between the towns of Urda and Los Yébenes. Service was suspended between Madrid, Ciudad Real, and Andalusia. Padilla stated that both trains were heading from Madrid to Seville in the same direction when one struck the other.

The accident involved a train from state-owned RENFE and a train from the private company IRYO. Spanish media reported that the RENFE train rammed the IRYO train. Padilla said 397 passengers were aboard the RENFE train and 147 were in the IRYO train. One car was shredded into metal and other material, scattering debris down a gravel slope.

Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia told TVE that emergency workers were rescuing survivors and bodies from the two most damaged cars. Injured passengers were sent to various hospitals in the area. Garcia described the incident as a high-speed impact and expected a tragedy. A military emergency brigade was deployed to assist firefighters, police, and emergency services at the site.

IRYO, an Italian-owned company, stated it had activated security protocols and was working closely with authorities. Manuel Galan, the mayor of nearby Urda, said civil protection asked his town hall to prepare a sports pavilion for injured passengers. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez canceled his agenda to focus on the crash.

Sanchez wrote on X that he was dismayed by the serious train accident and that his thoughts were with the victims and their families. He faces a national election next month. Regional President Emiliano Garcia-Page wrote that he was en route to the crash site. This is the second major train accident in Spain this year, following a January crash that killed 45 people.