At Least 10 Dead After Two High-Speed Trains Collide in Central Spain

At least 10 people have died after two trains collided in central Spain, leaving two carriages derailed, regional authorities said on Wednesday.

The crash happened early in the day near Urda, in Toledo province south of Madrid, on the railway line linking the capital with the southern city of Seville.

Esther Padilla, a spokeswoman for the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, told public broadcaster TVE that the death toll would "surely rise". She said the two trains had been travelling in the same direction when one hit the back of the other, which was stationary.

The collision involved a high-speed AVE service run by state operator Renfe, travelling from Madrid to Seville, and a train operated by the private company Iryo. According to Padilla, 397 passengers were aboard the Renfe train and 147 on the Iryo train. Emergency service sources cited by El Pais said two carriages of the Iryo train fell down an embankment.

Manuel Galan, the mayor of nearby Urda, told TVE that civil protection authorities had asked the town to prepare a sports pavilion to house those affected. El Mundo reported that firefighters from surrounding towns were sent to the scene along with three medical helicopters and two mobile intensive care units. Madrid Mayor Jose Luis Martínez-Almeida said on X that the capital was also dispatching emergency medical teams and firefighters.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote on X that he was shocked by the incident. He said he remained in contact with Transport Minister Oscar Puente and Emiliano Garcia-Page, the regional president of Castilla-La Mancha, while rescue crews continued their work.

Rail infrastructure operator ADIF suspended high-speed services between Madrid and the southern region of Andalusia, El Pais reported. The Civil Guard also sent a specialist disaster investigation team to the site. The cause of the collision has not been established.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on X that Italy's consulate in Madrid was checking whether any Italian nationals were among those affected and was ready to offer help.

The accident comes nine months after a train derailed and struck an oncoming service in southern Spain, killing 45 people. That crash, near the town of Adamuz, was the country's deadliest rail accident since 2013, when 80 people died.