Two high-speed trains collided in Toledo province. Authorities confirmed at least 10 deaths, and regional officials cited more.
Two high-speed trains collided Wednesday morning in Toledo province in central Spain, killing at least 10 people, according to government sources cited by the Spanish newspaper El País and The Associated Press. Regional emergency officials cited a higher toll that has not been confirmed.
Spain’s rail operator, Adif, said the collision occurred Wednesday morning near the town of Urda, and rail service between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia was suspended. Spanish state broadcaster TVE reported that the two high-speed trains were traveling in the same direction and that one ran into the rear of the other, knocking two of its carriages off the track. Spanish media reported that a Renfe train that left Madrid’s Atocha station at 8:00 a.m. for Seville hit an Iryo train from behind. At least four carriages overturned, according to a regional radio report. Spanish media said the emergency number was alerted at about 8:54 a.m.
Castilla-La Mancha emergency services cited at least 39 dead, and Spanish media later cited at least 46, attributing it to regional Civil Protection. Those figures were not confirmed by the central government, and no official toll for the injured had been released. The mayor of Urda, Manuel Galán, told TVE that civil protection authorities had asked his town hall to prepare a sports pavilion to receive passengers, and the mayor of the nearby village of Los Yébenes said the accident appeared serious. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he was shocked and was in constant contact with the transport minister and the regional president. The cause has not been determined.
In January, 45 people died in southern Spain when a high-speed train derailed and hit an oncoming train. It was the country’s deadliest rail crash since 2013, when 80 people died, and it shook confidence in Spain’s high-speed network.
Update this article as casualty figures are confirmed
Information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, CBS News, El País, Europa Press and Libertad Digital.