At least 30 people have died in the collision of two high-speed trains in Toledo province, Spain, the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha announced. Local authorities expect the number of casualties to rise further.
The accident occurred on Wednesday morning on the line between Madrid and Seville, Spanish railway infrastructure manager ADIF reported. According to Esther Padilla, spokesperson for the Castilla-La Mancha region, two high-speed trains carrying hundreds of passengers and travelling in the same direction, from Madrid to Seville, collided. The cause of the crash is not yet known, Padilla said.
The collision involved a train operated by Spanish state company Renfe and a train from private railway company Iryo. It was Iryo train 7076, which carried 146 passengers and one child, and AVE train 2080 with 397 passengers, totalling 544 people across both trains. Spanish media report that the Renfe train appears to have struck the Iryo train.
Footage broadcast by regional television Castilla-La Mancha showed a train that had derailed, with at least one carriage remaining on an elevated section of the track. Twisted metal, broken panels and wreckage could be seen scattered across the embankment below the line. Passenger Miguel, who was travelling with several colleagues in the rear carriage of one of the trains, described the moment of the accident to radio Cope. "We heard a loud bang, a really huge crash that lasted 10 seconds, as if the train were going to jump the tracks," Miguel said. "Through the right-hand window, we could see the wrecked train – I assume that was the other one," he added.
Manuel Galán, mayor of the town of Urda near Toledo, said he was asked by emergency services to prepare a sports hall to accommodate the injured. Padilla confirmed at least 30 dead and said the number could continue to rise. She emphasised that the current focus is on ensuring all those affected receive the necessary medical care. Most people are being transferred to a hospital in Toledo, while three other hospitals have also been placed on high alert to support the emergency response if needed, Padilla said. Another passenger on one of the trains reported that their Renfe AVE train had stopped briefly.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he was "shocked" by the accident. "I am in constant contact with the transport minister and the president of Castilla-La Mancha," Sánchez said. "Emergency services are working on the ground to help those affected and ensure their safety, in coordination with all involved administrations," he added, expressing "love, solidarity and support for all victims and their families".
Transport Minister Óscar Puente was working in the emergency management centre to "obtain all possible information about what happened". "In the control centre since 9:40, I am trying to get all possible information about what happened," Puente said.
Spain's main political parties, which are preparing for general elections next month, have suspended planned activities for the day. Opposition People's Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo said on platform X: "We are very worried about the information we are receiving about the new railway accident." "The priority now is to care for the victims and support their families," he added, expressing "full support for the emergency teams working on the ground".
Far-right party Vox leader Santiago Abascal appears to be continuing his political plans for the day as he campaigns ahead of next month's parliamentary elections. Abascal has repeatedly attacked Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for "constantly putting the Spanish people at risk". He explicitly rejected calls to suspend the campaign, claiming it would only "use the grief and mourning to silence complaints and protests about the deterioration of our infrastructure".
Spanish King Felipe VI appeared on camera during a visit to Bétera, where he is attending military exercises. He said he wanted to "express deep sorrow over this terrible incident", acknowledging "a high number of deaths and many injuries". "My primary concern is to express grief over this terrible tragedy and convey our sympathy, sorrow, support and affection to the families in such an incredibly difficult and painful moment," Felipe VI said, thanking the emergency services responding to the incident.
The incident comes less than a year after a similar accident in Adamuz in Córdoba province, in which 46 people died and 152 were injured in January this year. Government sources told El País that this accident could be worse than the Adamuz railway disaster in January, in which 46 people died. The Adamuz accident also involved Renfe and Iryo trains. Spain's high-speed rail network is the largest in Europe and the second largest in the world after China, and carried 25 million passengers in 2024.
