At least 10 people were killed and multiple others injured on Wednesday when a high-speed train slammed into the rear of another train that had stopped in central Spain, according to regional authorities. The deadly collision occurred in the province of Toledo, prompting the suspension of rail service between Madrid, Ciudad Real, and Andalusia.
Esther Padilla, spokeswoman for the Castilla La Mancha region, confirmed the initial death toll while speaking to state broadcaster TVE, warning that the final number of fatalities “will surely rise.” Spain’s rail system operator, ADIF, reported that the incident took place Wednesday morning.
According to Padilla, the accident involved two high-speed trains traveling in the same direction from Madrid toward Seville. One of the trains struck the tail of the other while it was stationary on the tracks, causing two cars to derail. The exact cause of the collision remains under investigation, and authorities have not yet determined why the lead train had stopped.
The crash involved a train operated by Spain’s state-owned rail company, RENFE, and another operated by the private rail company IRYO. Data provided by regional officials indicated that 397 passengers were aboard the RENFE train, while 147 passengers were traveling on the IRYO train.
Emergency response efforts mobilized quickly following the impact. Manuel Galán, the mayor of the nearby town of Urda, told TVE that numerous passengers had sustained injuries. Civil protection authorities requested that the local town hall prepare a municipal sports pavilion to receive, triage, and care for affected passengers.
Emiliano García-Page, the regional president of Castilla La Mancha, announced on the social media platform X that he was traveling directly to the scene of the disaster to oversee response efforts and coordinate with emergency personnel.
The tragedy compounds ongoing concerns regarding rail safety in the country, following a deadly incident in January when 45 people died in southern Spain after a train derailed and struck an oncoming vehicle. That accident was Spain’s deadliest rail disaster since a 2013 crash killed 80 people, severely shaking public confidence in the nation’s extensive high-speed rail network.
