The Spain train collision toll has risen to about 64, regional officials confirmed on Wednesday, as rescue workers were still searching the wreckage.
Emiliano Garcia-Page, the leader of the central region of Castilla-La Mancha, gave the new figure to reporters at the scene. He raised a previous toll of 31 and warned that the number would probably grow further.
“We are speaking of approximately 64 (dead), but this is probably going to grow even more,” Garcia-Page said.
Spain train collision toll more than doubles
The sharp rise in the Spain train collision toll marks a grim turn in a rescue operation that began on Wednesday morning. A Renfe train and an Iryo train crashed just after 9am local time, which was 1pm in Pakistan, on the line from Madrid to Seville.
Rail operator Adif said traffic on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed line had been suspended after a rear-end collision between two trains. A government spokesperson for the Castilla-La Mancha region said two Iryo wagons derailed. The cause of the crash and the full number of injuries were still being determined.
At the scene, several carriages sat on a raised section of track while twisted metal and wreckage lay across an embankment below. At least three carriages had plunged from the line, and hundreds of ambulances, funeral home vans and helicopters were parked nearby.
Evacuated passengers walked along a road near the scene, some with bandaged wounds, while volunteers handed out water donated from neighbouring towns.
One passenger, Miguel, was travelling with several colleagues in the rear car of one of the trains. He told COPE radio what the crash felt like.
“We heard a massive roar, a truly enormous thud that went on for 10 seconds, as if the train were about to derail. Through the right-hand window, we could see a wrecked train,” he said.
Manuel Galan, the mayor of the nearby town of Urda, told 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.
Second deadly rail crash this year
The crash is the second deadly railway accident in Spain this year. In January, a collision between two high-speed trains in southern Spain killed 46 people. That crash happened after a train derailed and smashed into an oncoming train near Adamuz, in Cordoba province.
The January disaster triggered a debate about the level of investment in railway maintenance in recent years. Wednesday’s crash will now renew those questions, even though officials have not yet said what caused it.
Toll figures in major rail crashes often rise in stages. Early counts cover bodies recovered quickly from accessible carriages. Later counts follow as rescue teams reach crushed sections and hospitals confirm deaths. That is why the figure moved from 31 to about 64 within hours.
Spain’s political life paused in response. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez cleared his agenda for the day. The opposition People’s Party cancelled all campaign events. Sanchez is seeking re-election next month.
“Shocked by the serious train accident in Toledo,” Sanchez wrote on X, sending his love, solidarity and support to the victims and their families.
Pakistan angle: Shehbaz sends condolences
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was profoundly grieved by the devastating train collision. He expressed his deepest condolences to Sanchez and the people of Spain.
“We pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. Pakistan stands with Spain in its hour of sorrow,” he wrote on X.
Feature Pakistan earlier reported at least 30 dead in the Spain train collision near Madrid. That report covered the first hours after the crash, when the toll stood far lower. This update replaces those early figures with the toll confirmed later on Wednesday.
Rescue teams must finish searching every carriage before a final toll can be set, and rail investigators must then establish how the two trains collided.
Frequently asked questions
How many people died in the Spain train collision?
The regional leader of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano Garcia-Page, said about 64 people had died. He warned the toll would probably grow further as rescue work continued.
Where did the crash happen?
The crash happened on the high-speed line from Madrid to Seville, near Toledo in central Spain. The town of Urda, close to the scene, prepared emergency facilities for passengers and the injured.
