At least 30 killed as two high-speed trains collide in Spain’s Toledo province
File photo: a Renfe AVE high-speed train in Spain. (Wikimedia Commons)
MADRID — At least 30 people have been killed and more than 80 injured after two high-speed trains collided in central Spain on Wednesday morning. The crash happened on the Madrid–Andalusia high-speed line between the towns of Urda and Los Yebenes, in Toledo province, where rescue teams spent the day pulling passengers from derailed carriages, some of which had plunged down an embankment. Regional authorities have warned the death toll could still rise.
How the collision happened
The two trains involved were a state-run Renfe AVE service and a private Iryo service, both travelling from Madrid towards Seville in the south-west. The Renfe train was carrying 397 passengers; the Iryo train had 147 on board. The impact was severe enough to derail several carriages and leave at least one reduced to twisted metal on the slope below the line. One passenger told radio reporters of a massive roar lasting around ten seconds, as if the train were about to come off the rails, before he saw the wrecked train through the window.
Rescue effort and official response
Emiliano Garcia-Page, president of the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, confirmed the death toll, while regional spokesperson Esther Padilla cautioned that the final figure was not yet known. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez cancelled his schedule for the day and offered condolences to the victims’ families. Rail infrastructure manager Adif has suspended high-speed services between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia while the cause is investigated, and Spain’s football federation postponed 24 Copa del Rey first-round matches as a mark of respect.
A second major crash on the same line this year
Wednesday’s disaster is the second major crash on the same line this year. In January, two high-speed trains collided near Adamuz in Cordoba province, killing dozens and triggering a national debate about investment in railway maintenance. That argument, quiet for months, is now back in full force.
