At least 30 dead as two high-speed trains collide in Spain

REUTERS/AFP -- A high-speed train collision south of Madrid killed at least 30 people on Wednesday, regional authorities told AFP in an updated toll as Spain reeled from its second such disaster this year.

The toll from government sources in the central region of Castilla-La Mancha comes after a collision between two high-speed trains in southern Spain in January resulted in the deaths of 46 people.

That crash in January, which occurred after a train derailed and smashed into an oncoming train near Adamuz, in Cordoba province, triggered a debate about the level of investment in railway maintenance in recent years.

“Traffic on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed rail line has been suspended following a rear-end collision between two trains,” rail operator Adif said in a message posted on X on Wednesday.

A Renfe and an Iryo train crashed just after 9am (1pm PKT), causing two Iryo wagons to derail, a government spokesperson for the Castilla La Mancha region said, adding that the cause and number of injuries were still being determined.

Footage by regional Castilla La Mancha Television showed a derailed train with at least one carriage remaining on an elevated section of track while twisted metal, broken panels and wreckage could be seen strewn across an embankment beneath the line.

Adif said the incident occurred on the line from Madrid to Seville.

Manuel Galan, 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 accommodate passengers and the injured.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s agenda, published on the Spanish government’s website, had been cleared for the day. The opposition People’s Party also cancelled all campaign events, a spokesperson said.

PM Sanchez, who is seeking re-election next month, said he was “shocked” by the incident.

“Shocked by the serious train accident in Toledo,” Sanchez said on X about the incident south of Madrid, sending “my love, solidarity and support to all the victims and their families”.