Ten Dead After High-Speed Train Strikes Stopped Service in Toledo

Authorities confirmed that at least ten people died on Wednesday when a moving high-speed train struck the rear of another service that had stopped in central Spain. The impact forced two rail cars off the tracks.

Esther Padilla, a spokeswoman for the Castilla La Mancha regional government, stated that officials have verified ten fatalities. She warned that the death toll is expected to increase. Both trains were traveling in the same direction from Madrid toward Seville when the collision occurred.

Spain's state rail operator ADIF reported that the accident took place in the province of Toledo during the morning. Rail traffic is currently suspended between Madrid, Ciudad Real, and the Andalusian region. The cause of the crash has not been determined.

The services belonged to the state-owned RENFE and the private operator IRYO. Padilla reported that 397 passengers were aboard the RENFE train and 147 were on the IRYO service. A previous collision involving trains from these two companies in January killed 45 people.

Manuel Galán, the mayor of Urda, said civil protection officials requested that the local town hall prepare a sports pavilion to treat injured passengers. Regional president Emiliano García-Page stated on X that he was traveling to the crash site to oversee the response.

The January accident was the deadliest rail disaster in Spain since a 2013 crash that killed 80 people. That incident significantly shook public confidence in the country's high-speed network. Officials have not yet released details on the condition of the remaining passengers or the timeline for reopening the line.