At least 10 people have been killed after two high-speed trains collided in central Spain, with authorities warning that the death toll is expected to rise.
The crash happened on the Madrid-to-Seville line in the Toledo region on Wednesday morning, according to rail system operator ADIF.
The trains were travelling in the same direction when one struck the rear of the other, which had stopped, Esther Padilla, a spokeswoman for the Castilla-La Mancha region, said. The impact forced two carriages off the track.
“That number will surely rise,” Ms Padilla said, referring to the confirmed death toll.
Footage broadcast by regional television showed a derailed train, with at least one carriage still on an elevated section of track. Twisted metal, damaged panels and other wreckage could be seen scattered across the embankment below.
The collision came nine months after another crash involving high-speed trains operated by the same companies on the same line, in which 46 people were killed.
That accident occurred near Adamuz, in Cordoba province, after a train derailed and hit an oncoming service. It prompted debate over the level of investment in railway maintenance in recent years.
