Spain suffers another deadly train crash

At least 10 people were killed when two high-speed trains collided in central Spain on Wednesday, according to officials. The accident occurred shortly after 9 a.m. local time in Toledo province, managed by ADIF, Spain’s state-owned railway infrastructure operator. The crash follows another deadly incident on the same line between Madrid and Seville 10 months earlier.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed deep sadness over the accident, stating that emergency services are working to assist the victims and ensure their safety. He extended his solidarity and support to the families of the victims, saying so on X. Esther Padilla, the Castilla La Mancha region’s spokeswoman, said the death toll is expected to rise.

Padilla told state broadcaster TVE that the two high-speed trains were traveling in the same direction from Madrid to Seville when one hit the other from behind. This caused two cars of the stationary train to be knocked off the track. The cause of the crash was not immediately known.

Manuel Galan, mayor of Urda near Toledo, said he was asked to prepare a sports hall to accommodate the injured. Renfe, Spain’s national rail operator, said it had set up an emergency phone line to assist the families of the victims. The crash is the latest in a series of deadly incidents on Spain’s high-speed rail network, which is the largest in Europe for trains traveling over 155 mph.