The Renfe train was carrying 397 passengers, while the Iryo service had 147 passengers on board
At least 30 people have been killed after two high-speed trains collided in Spain’s central Toledo province on Wednesday, with authorities warning that the death toll could rise further. The collision occurred shortly after 9 am local time on the Madrid-Seville line, near the town of Urda. A trainee railway worker who had gone missing following the crash has since been confirmed dead, while the driver of an AVE high-speed train remains unaccounted for, according to Spanish media reports. Spain’s rail infrastructure operator Adif confirmed that traffic on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed line had been suspended following the collision.
A Renfe train struck the rear of a stationary Iryo train, causing two carriages to derail, with some reportedly falling down an embankment. Emergency services rushed to the scene as rescue teams worked to reach passengers trapped inside the damaged coaches. The accident involved a Renfe AVE service and an Iryo train travelling in the same direction towards southern Spain.
An operator at Madrid’s Atocha control centre allegedly instructed the Renfe train to proceed despite the Iryo train obstructing the track, according to the preliminary account. Health Minister Mónica García said the impact had been severe and warned that the situation could worsen as rescue operations continued. Injured passengers were being transferred to hospitals according to the seriousness of their conditions.
These claims remain subject to investigation, and authorities have not officially established the cause of the crash. Emergency services deployed medical helicopters and mobilised hospitals in Toledo and Alcázar de San Juan to treat the injured. Rescue teams focused on the two most severely damaged carriages, where passengers were trapped amid twisted metal and wreckage.