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Two high-speed trains collide south of Madrid; death toll unclear
BBC reports two high-speed trains collided Wednesday morning in Toledo province, Spain, with more than 500 people aboard and conflicting early death tolls.
- New headline Was: “What we know about the crash so far”
- Our desk filed its story
Two high-speed trains collided Wednesday morning in Spain's Toledo province, south of Madrid, according to the BBC, citing rail operator Adif and regional officials1.
Adif said the crash, just after 9 a.m. local time (8 a.m. GMT), involved a Renfe train and an Iryo train on the Madrid-Seville route, between Mora and Orgaz, about 140 kilometers south of Madrid1. Broadcaster RTVE, quoting the transport ministry, said a Renfe train rear-ended an Iryo train that was apparently stationary, and that at least two carriages went down an embankment1. Adif said traffic on the line had been stopped1.
Esther Padilla, a spokeswoman for the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, told TVE that the Iryo train was carrying 146 passengers plus one baby and the Renfe train 397, more than 500 people in total1. Padilla said 10 people had been confirmed dead and that the figure would almost certainly rise1. The BBC also reported at least 30 people confirmed dead, with casualty numbers expected to rise1. An official cause has not been confirmed; local media have pointed to possible signaling-related human error, the BBC said1.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he was in contact with the transport minister and Castilla-La Mancha's president and that emergency crews were assisting those affected1. Sánchez and other Spanish politicians canceled public events Wednesday, including campaigning for next month's parliamentary elections1. The BBC noted this was Spain's second high-speed rail tragedy this year, after a January derailment in the south that it said killed 46 people1.