At least 30 people died in the Spain train collision south of Madrid on Wednesday, regional authorities told AFP in an updated toll. Spain was left reeling from its second such disaster this year.
The crash took place on the Madrid to Seville high-speed line, near the town of Urda in the central region of Castilla-La Mancha. Rail operator Adif said traffic on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed line had been suspended after a rear-end collision between two trains.
A Renfe train and an Iryo train crashed just after 9am local time, which was 1pm in Pakistan. Two wagons of the Iryo train derailed, a government spokesperson for Castilla-La Mancha said. The cause of the crash and the full number of injured people were still being determined when the toll was updated.
Spain train collision: what happened
Footage broadcast by regional Castilla-La Mancha Television showed a derailed train with at least one carriage still on a raised section of track. Twisted metal, broken panels and wreckage lay strewn across an embankment beneath the line.
Manuel Galan, the mayor of nearby Urda, told radio station Cadena SER that emergency services had asked the town council to prepare emergency facilities, including a sports hall, to take in passengers and the injured.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez cleared his agenda for the day, according to the Spanish government website. The opposition People’s Party also cancelled all of its campaign events, a spokesperson said. Sanchez is seeking re-election next month, as reported in Spain heads for a snap election on November 29.
Sanchez said he was shocked by the incident. “Shocked by the serious train accident in Toledo,” he wrote on X, referring to the province south of Madrid. He sent “my love, solidarity and support to all the victims and their families”.
Second disaster on the same line
The collision comes nine months after a crash between high-speed trains belonging to the same operators on the same line killed 46 people. That crash took place in January, after a train derailed and smashed into an oncoming train near Adamuz, in Cordoba province.
The January disaster triggered a debate in Spain about the level of investment in railway maintenance in recent years. Wednesday’s crash will renew that debate, since it involved the same operators and the same Madrid-Andalusia corridor.
Spain runs one of the largest high-speed rail networks in the world, and its trains carry millions of passengers each year. Two fatal high-speed collisions in nine months on one line is an exceptional record for a system with a strong safety reputation, which is why the official inquiry into the cause will draw close attention.
What happens next
Adif has suspended traffic on the Madrid-Andalusia line while emergency work and the investigation continue. Passengers were being moved to emergency facilities, and officials were still establishing how many people were injured.
The government has not yet announced the cause of the rear-end collision. Investigators will examine signalling, train speeds and the sequence of events on the line before reaching any finding. Further updates to the death toll are possible as rescue work at the site goes on.
For readers following Spain, the crash comes at a sensitive political moment, with a general election weeks away and campaigning now paused by the main parties. The response of the government in the coming days, including any statement on rail safety spending, will be watched closely.
Feature Pakistan is also following Spain’s deadly floods in Catalonia, the partial stadium closure ordered in Spain and the latest Israel election results.
Frequently asked questions
How many people died in the Spain train collision?
At least 30 people died, according to regional authorities in Castilla-La Mancha, who gave the updated toll to AFP. The number of injured people was still being determined.
Where did the trains collide?
The crash happened on the Madrid to Seville high-speed line, near the town of Urda, south of Madrid in the Castilla-La Mancha region.
Which trains were involved?
A Renfe train and an Iryo train were involved in a rear-end collision, according to rail operator Adif. Two wagons of the Iryo train derailed.
Was this Spain’s first train disaster this year?
No. In January, a crash between high-speed trains belonging to the same operators on the same line killed 46 people near Adamuz, in Cordoba province.
