Train collision in Spain kills at least 30 people

A Renfe AVE train heading south from Madrid struck the rear of a stopped Iryo train on a high-speed line in central Spain, killing at least 30 people, according to Castilla La Mancha’s regional government. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the collision happened Wednesday morning in the province of Toledo. The regional government warned that the death toll could rise.

The Sydney Morning Herald said the impact forced at least three carriages off the tracks and down an embankment. The account described one train as having hit the rear of the other, and identified the Renfe AVE service as travelling south from Madrid. The Iryo train was stopped when the Renfe train struck it.

Passengers described the force of the collision to Spanish newspapers. Sebastián Herrero, a passenger on the Iryo train, told El Mundo that he had difficulty imagining anyone surviving in the three carriages that left the tracks. He said the impact felt like an explosion. Herrero also said he was travelling on the Iryo service from Madrid toward the south.

Another passenger, Jesús Jerónimo, told El Pais he was travelling on the Renfe AVE train toward Seville. He described a sudden, forceful acceleration that threw him against the seat in front of him. The two passengers’ accounts conveyed the impact from aboard the separate trains.

The crash disrupted rail travel: authorities suspended service between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia. The suspension affects the named routes connecting the capital with central and southern parts of the country, while rescue and casualty information remained subject to the regional government’s warning that the toll could rise.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Castilla La Mancha spokeswoman Esther Padilla had earlier warned that the number of deaths would increase. The regional government later confirmed at least 30 fatalities.

Headlines from LatestLY and The Guardian also placed the collision in Toledo and cited at least 30 deaths; NewsDrum’s headline reported more than 40 deaths and suspended rail services. The figures in those headlines differ, and the regional government’s confirmed minimum remains at least 30.