At least 64 people were killed and 179 injured after a high-speed Renfe train struck a stationary Iryo train near Urda and Los Yébenes in Toledo province, south of Madrid, causing multiple carriages to derail, officials said.
More than 500 passengers were on the two trains at the time of the collision, according to a regional government spokesperson. The Renfe train was carrying 397 passengers, while roughly 150 people were aboard the Iryo train.
The crash suspended high-speed rail service between Madrid and the southern region of Andalusia. Drones, helicopters, forensic teams and other emergency services remained at the site.
Rail operator Adif said the crash involved a Renfe train and an Iryo train on the Madrid-Seville route. The collision occurred along the Madrid–Seville high-speed rail line.
Reuters reported that evacuated passengers walked along a road near the crash scene, including people with blood on them or bandaged injuries. Others carried or wheeled luggage as volunteers distributed water donated by neighboring towns.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he was “shocked by the serious train accident” and remained in constant contact with the transport minister.
The death toll makes the collision Spain’s worst rail disaster since 2013, when 80 people were killed after a train derailed in northwestern Spain.
A person briefed on the disaster told Reuters the Iryo train had stopped near Toledo on instructions from infrastructure manager ADIF because of a signal fault. The Renfe train subsequently struck the stationary train at high speed, causing several carriages from both trains to derail.
Renfe said its train had been authorized to continue traveling before the collision and that the Iryo train remained stationary “for reasons we don’t know.”
“The Renfe train continued on its way as instructed, and a collision occurred. The exact sequence of events, the traffic conditions and the circumstances of the impact will have to be established by the investigation,” Renfe told Reuters.
It is the third major rail disaster in Spain this year, following an earlier crash on the same line in January. Investigators are still examining the cause of the collision.
