Two Madrid-bound trains collide in Spain, leaving at least 30 dead

At least 30 people died Wednesday when two high-speed trains collided in Toledo province, Spain. The Castilla La Mancha regional press office confirmed the toll to NBC News. This is the second deadly rail accident in the country this year.

The crash happened just after 9 a.m. local time, according to ADIF, the state agency that manages Spain’s rail infrastructure. The trains were traveling from Madrid to Seville. Esther Padilla, a spokeswoman for the regional government, told state broadcaster TVE that one train struck the rear of the other, which had stopped on the line. The impact knocked two cars of the stationary train off the tracks. The cause of the collision was not immediately known.

A total of 544 passengers were aboard the two trains. Renfe, the state-owned operator, carried 397 people. Iryo, a privately owned company, carried 147. A passenger named Miguel, who was riding in the rear car of one train with several colleagues, described the moment of impact to COPE radio. He said he heard a massive roar and a thud that lasted about 10 seconds. He said the noise felt as if the train was about to derail. Looking out the right-hand window, he saw a wrecked train, which he assumed was the other vehicle.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he was deeply saddened by the event. In a post on X, he stated that emergency services were working on site to assist affected people and ensure their safety. He said his sympathy and support went out to the victims and their families. Renfe established an emergency phone line for families. Iryo said it activated its security protocols and was working closely with authorities.

Manuel Galan, the mayor of Urda, a small municipality near Toledo, told TVE that emergency services asked him to prepare a local sports hall to care for the injured. The crash occurred on the same Madrid-Seville line as a deadly collision in January. That accident killed 45 people when a train jumped the track and hit an oncoming train. The January crash was the deadliest in Spain since 2013. Spain operates the largest high-speed rail network in Europe for trains moving faster than 155 mph, with more than 1,900 miles of track, according to the European Union.

The collision took place in central Spain, in a region with a history of rail accidents. The two operators involved, Renfe and Iryo, both run services on this route. Emergency officials coordinated the response with local authorities. The number of dead may change as officials continue to process the scene. The two trains were heading in the same direction at the time of the crash.