AT LEAST 10 people have been confirmed dead and dozens more injured after two high-speed trains collided in central Spain on Wednesday morning.
The crash , bringing the country’s high-speed rail link between Madrid and the south of the country to .
Emergency crews, medics and rescue teams rushed to the scene as authorities warned that .
Here is everything we know so far about the incident.
What happened?
The collision occurred just after 9am local time (8am GMT) on Wednesday morning, when two high-speed passenger trains travelling in the same direction crashed.
According to officials, one high-speed train collided with the rear of another service that had stopped on the line.
The high-speed impact knocked two carriages of the stationary train off the rails.
The accident involved a train from Spain‘s state-owned RENFE company and the Italian-owned private rail company, IRYO.
It appeared the RENFE train rammed the IRYO train, Spanish media reported.
Esther Padilla, spokeswoman for the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha, confirmed the crash during an interview with Spanish state broadcaster TVE.
She said that at least 10 people had died, but emergency personnel expect that number to increase as they assess the wreckage.
Local authorities have reportedly told Sky News that at least 39 people had died.
Padilla said that 397 passengers were on the RENFE train and 147 passengers were on the IRYO train.
Where did the crash take place?
The incident unfolded in the rural province of Toledo, part of the Castilla-La Mancha region directly south of the capital, Madrid.
The impact happened near the town of Urda along the main railway route connecting Madrid to the southern region of Andalusia.
Manuel Galan, Mayor of Urda, told TVE that authorities contacted his town hall immediately following the collision to coordinate emergency aid.
Local officials were urgently instructed to convert a sports pavilion into a makeshift treatment and triage centre to receive and care for injured survivors.
What is the emergency response?
First responders, paramedics and civil protection personnel deployed to the crash site to rescue trapped passengers from the derailed carriages.
Emiliano García-Page, the regional president of Castilla-La Mancha, announced on social media platform X that he was travelling to the scene to monitor and oversee the response.
Authorities are focusing on treating the wounded, securing the wreckage and accounting for all passengers aboard both services.
An official investigation will determine why the first train was stationary on the line and why the trailing train failed to brake in time.
Which rail services are affected?
Spain’s state-owned railway infrastructure manager, ADIF, announced an immediate shutdown of all traffic along the affected route.
High-speed services connecting Madrid with Ciudad Real and major destinations across Andalusia, including Seville, Cordoba and Malaga, have been suspended.
Passengers scheduled to travel along Spain’s busy north-south rail routes are urged to check with operators for cancellations and delays while the line remains closed.
