At least 39 people were killed Wednesday morning when two high-speed trains collided on the Madrid–Andalusia line near the town of Urda, in Spain’s Toledo province, according to Castilla-La Mancha emergency services. The figure is provisional and may rise as rescue operations continue.
The collision occurred at about 8:54 a.m. local time at kilometer 118 of the line, between Mora, Orgaz and Urda, according to the 112 emergency service. Both trains, a Renfe AVE and a train operated by Iryo, were running on the Madrid–Seville route.
Preliminary information from Transport Ministry sources indicates that the AVE struck the rear of the Iryo train. El País, citing 112 sources, reported that the Iryo train was stationary at the time of the impact.
Two carriages of the Iryo train derailed and fell down an embankment, emergency services said. Early reports had put the death toll at at least 10 before regional emergency services raised the figure. Numerous people were injured, though officials have not released a confirmed number.
Firefighters, Civil Protection units, ambulances and three medical helicopters were dispatched to the scene, and hospitals in Toledo and Alcázar de San Juan were placed on alert. The Castilla-La Mancha regional government activated its emergency plan.
Renfe suspended rail service between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia, and offered passengers free ticket changes and cancellations.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez cancelled his schedule for the day. Castilla-La Mancha President Emiliano García-Page also suspended his government’s agenda and traveled to the site. Esther Padilla, the regional government’s spokesperson, expressed condolences to the victims’ families and thanked neighboring regions for their assistance.
The cause of the collision is under investigation.
The crash is Spain’s second deadly high-speed rail disaster this year. In January, a crash near Adamuz, in Córdoba province, killed 46 people and injured 292.
