AT least 64 people have been killed and dozens of others seriously injured after two high-speed trains collided near Urda, south of Spain’s capital, Madrid, according to regional government officials.
The death toll, announced by the Castilla-La Mancha regional government on Wednesday, makes the crash one of Spain’s deadliest railway disasters in recent years.
More than 500 passengers were travelling on the two trains involved in the accident, with 147 aboard a train operated by private rail company Iryo and 397 on a Renfe high-speed train.
The cause of the collision has not been officially established, although Spanish media reports suggest that the Renfe train may have struck the Iryo train, which was reportedly stationary on the tracks.
The impact sent several carriages off the tracks, with some overturned down an embankment.
Emergency workers, including firefighters, paramedics and police officers, were deployed to the scene, while helicopters assisted rescue operations.
Passengers described scenes of panic and destruction following the collision.
Sebastián Herrero, 46, who was travelling on one of the trains, told Spanish newspaper El Mundo that he felt a powerful impact shortly after the train stopped, throwing him onto the seats in front of him.
He said several passengers suffered broken noses and arms, while smoke spread through the carriages.
Another passenger, Fernando Seco, told El Español that luggage flew across the carriage during the impact. He described seeing numerous injured people and fatalities after leaving the train.
Regional authorities warned that the death toll could rise further as rescue workers continued searching the damaged carriages.
Hospitals in Toledo, Ciudad Real and Alcázar de San Juan reportedly suspended scheduled surgeries to accommodate casualties from the crash. Blood donation centres in Madrid and Toledo also appealed for urgent donations to meet the potential increase in demand.
Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, said he was shocked by the accident and remained in contact with the transport minister as the government monitored developments.
The Spanish royal family also expressed condolences to the victims’ families and commended emergency personnel working at the scene.
Meanwhile, the Royal Spanish Football Federation announced the postponement of 24 matches scheduled for Wednesday in the first round of the Copa del Rey, citing solidarity with the victims.
Several political parties also suspended campaign activities ahead of Spain’s November 29 general election.
Rail services linking Madrid with Ciudad Real and Andalusia were suspended following the collision, leaving passengers stranded at stations while authorities worked to establish the circumstances surrounding the disaster.
Spain suffered another major railway tragedy in January, when a train collision on the same route reportedly killed 46 people.
The country’s worst rail disaster in recent decades occurred in 2013, when 80 people died after a train derailed in north-western Spain.
Investigations into Wednesday’s collision are expected to establish how the two trains came to collide and whether signalling failures or other factors contributed to the disaster.
