High-Speed Train Collision Kills 30 in Central Spain

At least 30 people died Wednesday morning when a high-speed train crashed into the rear of another train in central Spain, local media reported. The collision occurred in the province of Toledo, on a flat stretch of track between the towns of Urda and Los Yébenes. Spanish authorities initially counted 10 fatalities, but Esther Padilla, the spokeswoman for the Castilla La Mancha region, told state broadcaster TVE that the death toll would surely rise. The state news agency EFE later confirmed the toll had climbed to 30.

Rail operator ADIF confirmed that the accident involved two high-speed trains traveling in the same direction from Madrid toward Seville. One train ran into the tail of the other, which had come to a stop. The impact knocked two cars off the track. One car was shredded into pieces of metal and scattered debris down a gravel slope. Padilla stated that the cause of the crash was not yet known.

The trains belonged to two different operators. A state-owned RENFE train carried 397 passengers. A private IRYO train, owned by an Italian company, carried 147 passengers. Spanish media reported that the RENFE train appears to have rammed the IRYO train. This marks the second major train accident in Spain this year, following a deadly crash in January that killed 45 people in the south.

Health Minister Mónica García told TVE that emergency workers were focusing on rescuing survivors and bodies from the two most damaged cars. Injured passengers were being transported to various hospitals in the area. García described the scene as a high-speed impact and said officials expected the situation to be a tragedy. IRYO said in a statement that it had activated its security protocols and was working closely with authorities.

Local officials mobilized resources to handle the injured. Manuel Galán, the mayor of Urda, said civil protection authorities asked his town hall to prepare a sports pavilion to treat passengers. A military emergency brigade was deployed to assist firefighters, police, and other emergency services at the crash site. Rail service was suspended between Madrid, Ciudad Real, and Andalusia.

National leaders responded to the crash. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who faces a national election next month, canceled his schedule to focus on the incident. He wrote on X that he was dismayed by the serious accident and that his thoughts were with the victims and their families. Emiliano García-Page, the regional president of Castilla La Mancha, also posted on X to confirm he was traveling to the crash site.

Spanish Health Minister Mónica García told TVE that emergency workers were focusing on rescuing survivors and bodies from the two most damaged train cars.