Two high-speed trains collide in central Spain, killing at least 30

Authorities confirmed at least 30 people died after two high-speed trains collided in central Spain on Wednesday morning. The regional government of Castilla-La Mancha provided the updated death toll to the news agency Agence France-Presse. The crash involved one train striking the rear of another vehicle that had come to a stop, causing two carriages to leave the tracks.

The incident took place in the province of Toledo, according to the Spanish railway infrastructure manager ADIF. Transportation Minister Óscar Puente, referred to in reports as Padilla, stated to the state broadcaster TVE that both trains were traveling in the same direction from Madrid toward Sevilla. He explained that the moving train hit the stationary one from behind. Officials have not yet determined the specific cause of the impact.

Rail service was suspended along the line connecting Madrid, Ciudad Real, and Andalusia following the accident. The train operated by RENFE was carrying 397 passengers, while the IRYO train had 147 people aboard. Emergency crews worked to treat the injured at the scene.

Manuel Galán, the mayor of Urda, a town near the crash site, told TVE that several passengers sustained injuries. Civil protection authorities requested the town council to prepare a local sports hall to accommodate and assist the travelers. Galán noted that the immediate response focused on getting the wounded medical attention.

Emiliano García-Page, the president of Castilla-La Mancha, took to the social media platform X to announce he was traveling to the accident location. The region has now experienced a major railway tragedy in less than ten months.

In January of this year, 45 people died in southern Spain when a train derailed and collided with an oncoming train. That crash was the deadliest in the country since 2013, when 80 people lost their lives. The January incident raised questions about the safety of Spain's extensive high-speed rail network.

The current collision marks a second major loss of life on these lines in 2026. Rail operators have paused traffic on the affected corridor while investigators examine the wreckage and gather data from the two trains.