URDA, Spain — At least 64 people were killed when a high-speed train slammed into the rear of another train that had stopped near Urda in central Spain on Wednesday, authorities said, in a major update to the toll reported earlier in the day. The central government's office for Castilla-La Mancha confirmed the death toll had risen, the Associated Press reported.
Source: Associated Press
The regional president of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano Garcia-Page, said at least 80 people were injured as rescue workers continued to search the wreckage for survivors and bodies, according to AP. Injury figures in other reports differ, and all figures remain provisional while rescue work continues.
Source: Associated Press
Spain's rail system operator ADIF said the crash occurred on Wednesday morning in Toledo province, between two high-speed trains carrying hundreds of passengers and heading in the same direction from Madrid to Seville in southwestern Spain, according to Esther Padilla, spokesperson for the Castilla-La Mancha region. One train ran into the tail of the other that had stopped, knocking cars off the track, and rail service was suspended between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia. Padilla said the cause of the crash was not known.
Source: Associated Press
What the operators say so far
A person briefed on the disaster told Reuters that a train operated by private consortium Iryo stopped near Toledo on orders from infrastructure manager ADIF due to a signal fault. That account has not been confirmed as the cause. Renfe said in a statement that, after being authorised to continue its journey, its train had crashed into the Iryo train that had remained stationary 'for reasons we don't know', Reuters reported.
Source: Reuters
Preliminary figures reported by authorities put 147 passengers on the Iryo service and 397 people aboard the Renfe train. Spanish reporting during the day has carried differing passenger counts, so those totals should be treated as provisional.
Source: Reuters
Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia said emergency workers were focusing on rescuing survivors and bodies from the two most damaged train cars, and that the injured were being sent to different hospitals in the area, AP reported.
Source: Associated Press
Second major crash this year
It was the second major train accident in Spain this year. A crash in January on the same Madrid-Seville corridor, near Adamuz in Cordoba province, killed 46 people and triggered debate about investment in railway maintenance, according to Reuters.
Source: Reuters
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on X that he was shocked by the serious train accident in Toledo and was in contact with officials as emergency crews worked at the scene. Rescue work is continuing, and authorities have warned the toll could change as more of the wreckage is searched.