At least 64 people have died after two high-speed trains collided near Toledo in central Spain on Wednesday, the Castilla-La Mancha regional government confirmed, warning that the figure could climb further as rescue teams work through the wreckage.
The crash happened just after 9am local time on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed line near Urda, about 150 kilometres south of Madrid, when a Renfe AVE service and an Iryo service came together. Two carriages of the Iryo train left the track.
Regional spokesperson Esther Padilla said 147 people had been travelling on the Iryo train and 397 on the Renfe train. The cause of the collision was not yet clear, and rail operator Adif said the incident took place on the line from Madrid to Seville.
Regional television footage showed a derailed train with a carriage still on an elevated section of track and twisted metal scattered below. A passenger named Miguel, travelling in the rear carriage of one of the trains, told Cope Radio of a massive roar and an enormous thud lasting around ten seconds, and of seeing a wrecked train through the right-hand window.
Emergency services swung into action around the site, and the mayor of the nearby town of Urda, Manuel Galan, told Cadena SER that the town council had been asked to prepare emergency facilities, including a sports hall, to accommodate passengers and the injured.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez cleared his agenda for the day and posted his condolences on X, offering affection, solidarity and support to the victims and their families. The opposition People’s Party also cancelled all campaign events ahead of a snap election on 29 November.
The collision is the second fatal crash on the same line involving the same operators in nine months: a January derailment near Adamuz in Cordoba province sent a train into an oncoming service, killing 46 and triggering debate about railway maintenance investment.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed profound grief, extending condolences to his Spanish counterpart, the local people and bereaved families, and prayed for the injured, adding that Pakistan stands with Spain in its hour of sorrow.
