URDA, Spain — A high-speed Renfe train slammed into the rear of a stationary Iryo train in central Spain on Wednesday morning, derailing two cars and killing at least 30 people, authorities said.
The collision happened just after 9 a.m. local time between Mora and Orgaz in Toledo province, about 140 kilometers (87 miles) south of Madrid, on the Madrid–Andalusia high-speed line. At least two carriages fell down an embankment.
Castilla-La Mancha regional president Emiliano García-Page said about 80 people were injured, about 50 of them seriously, and warned that the toll “will surely rise” as rescuers reach the most badly crushed carriages. Spanish media later reported he had raised the confirmed toll to 31.
Regional officials said the Iryo train carried 146 passengers plus a baby, and the Renfe train 397, more than 500 people in all, BBC News reported. The cause has not been confirmed. Rail operator Adif suspended all traffic on the line.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he was “shocked by the serious train accident in Toledo” and sent “my affection, solidarity, and support to all the victims and their families.”
It is Spain’s second major rail disaster this year, after a crash near Adamuz in Córdoba province killed 46 people in January.
—