Collision Kills 10 as Trains Strike on Madrid-Seville Line

Ten people died early Wednesday when two trains collided near Urda in Toledo province, according to regional authorities. The incident occurred on the high-speed rail line connecting Madrid with Seville. Officials confirmed that two carriages were derailed in the crash.

Esther Padilla, a spokeswoman for the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, told public broadcaster TVE that the death toll would surely rise. She explained that the trains were traveling in the same direction when one struck the rear of the other, which had been stopped. The collision involved a state-run Renfe AVE service and a private Iryo train. Padilla reported that 397 passengers were aboard the Renfe service and 147 were on the Iryo train.

Emergency responders from surrounding towns arrived at the scene, including three medical helicopters and two mobile intensive care units, according to El Pais. Firefighters assisted in the rescue efforts. Manuel Galan, the mayor of Urda, stated that civil protection authorities asked the town to prepare a sports pavilion to house those affected by the crash.

Jose Luis Martínez-Almeida, the mayor of Madrid, announced on X that the capital was dispatching additional emergency medical teams and firefighters to support the operation. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote on X that he was shocked by the incident. He said he maintained contact with Transport Minister Oscar Puente and Emiliano Garcia-Page, the regional president of Castilla-La Mancha, while rescue crews continued their work.

Rail infrastructure operator ADIF suspended high-speed services between Madrid and the Andalusia region, as reported by El Pais. The Civil Guard sent a specialist disaster investigation team to the site. Authorities have not yet established the cause of the collision. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on X that the Italian consulate in Madrid was checking for Italian nationals among those affected and was ready to offer help.

The accident follows a similar tragedy nine months ago when a train derailed and struck an oncoming service in southern Spain. That crash near Adamuz killed 45 people. It was the country's deadliest rail accident since 2013, when 80 people died.