High-speed trains collide in central Spain, killing at least 30
Authorities in Toledo confirm the death toll after a rear-end collision on the Madrid-Seville line, the second fatal incident involving the same operators in ten months.
By Fatou Kim ·
Spanish authorities confirmed that at least 30 people died on Wednesday when two high-speed trains collided in the province of Toledo. The crash occurred just after 9:00 a.m. local time, making it the second fatal railway accident in the country this year. The region of Castilla-La Mancha verified the figure to NBC News, while the state railway infrastructure manager, ADIF, issued a statement on social media detailing the location of the impact.
The sequence of events unfolded on the rail line connecting Madrid and Sevilla. Esther Padilla, a spokesperson for the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, told the public broadcaster TVE that both trains were traveling in the same direction. One train, operated by the private company Iryo, struck the rear of a stationary Renfe train. The collision caused two carriages of the stopped Renfe vehicle to derail. Padilla stated that the specific cause of the accident has not yet been determined.
The passenger manifests listed approximately 397 people on the Renfe train and 147 on the Iryo service. Miguel, a passenger in the tail end of one of the trains, described the moment of impact to the Spanish radio station COPE. He recalled hearing a massive crash that lasted about ten seconds, followed by a view of a wrecked train through the right-side window. "We heard a huge crash, a truly tremendous blow that lasted about 10 seconds," he said.
President Pedro Sánchez addressed the incident on the social network X, describing himself as "deeply concerned." He noted that emergency services were working at the scene to assist affected passengers and ensure their safety. Sánchez said he remained in constant contact with Transportation Minister Oscar Puente and the regional president, Garcia Page. "My heartfelt condolences, solidarity and support to all the victims and their families," he wrote.
Local officials are managing the immediate aftermath. Manuel Galán, the mayor of the nearby town of Urda, told TVE that emergency services asked him to prepare a local sports center to shelter the injured. Renfe has opened an emergency telephone line for families of those involved. Iryo, a company with Italian capital, released a statement saying it had activated its safety protocols and was cooperating closely with authorities.
This crash follows a previous incident on the same Madrid-Seville line in January. That collision, which also involved Renfe and Iryo trains, resulted in 45 deaths after a derailed train hit another moving in the opposite direction. The January accident was the most severe in Spain since a 2013 disaster that killed 80 people. According to the European Union, Spain maintains the most extensive high-speed rail network in Europe, with more than 1,900 miles of tracks for trains traveling above 155 miles per hour.
