At least 10 people have died and multiple passengers have been injured after two high-speed trains collided in central Spain, bringing services on the Madrid-Andalusia line to a halt.
The crash happened at around 9am local time between Mora and Orgaz, near Toledo, as a Renfe train and an Iryo service travelled from Madrid towards Seville. About 400 passengers are believed to have been on board the two trains.
The confirmed death toll is feared to rise sharply. Regional emergency response co-ordinators are understood to have put the number of fatalities as high as 39, while other claims suggested it could eventually exceed 45.
One government source told Spanish media: “It could be worse than Adamuz.” A rail crash in Adamuz earlier this year left 46 people dead.
Most of those killed or injured are believed to have been travelling in two Iryo carriages which plunged down an embankment. One carriage caught fire, with smoke still rising from the twisted wreckage when the first emergency responders arrived.
The collision was initially described as head-on, but later reports indicated that the AVE high-speed train travelling from Madrid to Seville may have struck the other service from behind.
Rail operator Adif said: “Traffic on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed rail line has been suspended following a rear-end collision between two trains.”
Manuel Galan, mayor of nearby Urda, said emergency services had asked him to prepare a sports hall to receive injured passengers.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he was “shocked by the serious train accident in Toledo” and offered his “affection, solidarity and support to all the victims”.
He said he remained in contact with the transport minister and the president of Castilla-La Mancha, adding: “Emergency services are working on the ground to assist those affected and ensure their safety, in coordination with all the involved administrations.”
