At least 68 dead in Spain train crash

At least 68 people died and scores more were injured when two Spanish high-speed trains collided on Wednesday, with the toll likely to rise, authorities said, in Spain’s second deadly rail accident this year.
Hundreds of ambulances, funeral home vans and helicopters were parked next to one of the trains, with several carriages on an elevated section of track while twisted metal, broken panels and wreckage could be seen strewn across an embankment beneath the line where at least three carriages had plunged down.
Evacuated passengers streamed along a road near the scene, some splattered with blood or with their wounds bandaged, others wheeling suitcases and being given water by volunteers who said it had been donated from neighbouring towns.
Miguel, a passenger travelling with several colleagues in the rear car of one of the trains, described to COPE radio the moment of the accident.
“We heard a massive roar, a truly enormous thud that went on for 10 seconds, as if the train were about to derail. Through the right-hand window, we could see a wrecked train,” he said.
Operator Renfe says circumstances being investigated
The collision comes nine months after an accident between high-speed trains belonging to the same operators and on the same line that killed 46 people.
That crash in January, which occurred after a train derailed and smashed into an oncoming train near Adamuz, in Cordoba province, triggered a debate about the level of investment in railway maintenance in recent years.
A person briefed on Wednesday’s disaster said a train operated by private consortium Iryo stopped near Toledo on orders from infrastructure manager ADIF due to a signal fault.

A train operated by Renfe then struck the stationary train at high speed, causing several carriages of both trains to derail, the person said.
Renfe said in a statement that after being authorised to continue its journey, its train had crashed into the Iryo train that had remained stationary “for reasons we don’t know”.
“The Renfe train continued on its way as instructed, and a collision occurred. The exact sequence of events, the traffic conditions and the circumstances of the impact will have to be established by the investigation,” Renfe said.
There was no immediate response to a Reuters request for comment from Iryo or Adif.
Rail safety under scrutiny
The accident comes one month before Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez seeks to overturn unfavourable polls and extend his eight-year premiership in an early general election on 29 November.
Sanchez’s office said he was heading to the scene. The premier had said on X that he was “shocked” by the accident and sent “my love, solidarity and support to all the victims and their families”.
Condolences flooded in from across Spain and Europe. The Spanish royal household said on X it was “shocked and concerned” by the accident, conveying its support to the victims, their loved ones and the emergency services.
An EU spokeswoman said the bloc was “ready to help Spain if needed”, while European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said “Europe mourns” with the victims after the “devastating news”.
The Spanish football federation postponed 24 matches in the first round of the Copa del Rey “as a mark of respect and solidarity”.

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