At least 10 people were confirmed dead following a collision between two high-speed trains in the Spanish province of Toledo on Wednesday morning, according to regional officials. The crash occurred shortly before 9:15 a.m. local time at the station in the Toledo town of Urda, located within the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha.
Esther Padilla, a spokesperson for the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha, confirmed the death toll to Spanish broadcasters as emergency responders rushed to the site. The trains involved in the crash were operated by rail services AVE and Iryo, carrying more than 500 passengers combined, according to reports from the newspaper El Pais. At least two carriages reportedly fell down an embankment following the impact.
Emergency services deployed a heavy response to the scene, including firefighters from the Alcazar de San Juan and Orgaz stations, alongside Civil Protection teams from neighboring villages. Medical reinforcements included three air ambulances and two mobile intensive care units. Authorities also established an Advanced Medical Post directly at the crash site to triage the injured, provide immediate medical care, and coordinate transfers for those requiring hospitalization. The exact number of injured passengers remains unclear.
To accommodate families and survivors, local authorities announced plans to open the town of Urda’s sports hall to provide assistance. Meanwhile, officials expressed grave concern that the casualty count could climb further. Spain’s Health Minister Mónica García told a television news station that the incident was shaping up to be a major tragedy, though precise final figures were not yet available. Reports from El Pais indicated that officials feared the death toll could surpass that of another high-speed rail disaster in southern Spain earlier this year that claimed 45 lives.
Railway infrastructure manager Adif stated that traffic on the Madrid to Andalucía high-speed line was entirely interrupted due to the accident. Adif and transport authorities have launched an investigation to determine the exact sequence of events and the underlying cause of the collision, which remains unknown.
