Renfe and Iryo trains collide near Madrid, killing at least 10

At least 10 people died and hundreds were stranded in central Spain after two trains collided early Wednesday near the town of Urda. The crash occurred on the main rail line connecting Madrid to Seville, disrupting travel for commuters and long-distance passengers in the Toledo province.

Esther Padilla, spokeswoman for the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, confirmed the initial death toll to Spanish public broadcaster TVE. She warned the number of fatalities would likely increase. Padilla stated that one train was stationary when the other struck it from behind. Both trains were traveling in the same direction at the time of the impact.

The collision involved an AVE high-speed train operated by the state-owned Renfe and a service run by the private carrier Iryo. Renfe’s train carried 397 passengers, while the Iryo train held 147. Emergency sources reported that two carriages from the Iryo train fell down an embankment following the crash. The specific cause of the accident has not yet been determined.

Local and national officials mobilized a large emergency response. Firefighters from surrounding towns joined three medical helicopters and two mobile intensive care units at the scene. Madrid Mayor Jose Luis Martínez-Almeida announced that the capital was dispatching additional emergency medical teams and firefighters to assist. The mayor of Urda, Manuel Galan, said civil protection authorities asked the town to open a sports pavilion to house affected travelers.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed shock on social media, noting he was in contact with Transport Minister Oscar Puente and regional president Emiliano Garcia-Page. Spain’s railway infrastructure operator, ADIF, suspended high-speed rail services between Madrid and the Andalusia region. A specialist disaster investigation team from the Civil Guard was sent to the site.

The incident occurred nine months after a previous derailment near Adamuz in southern Spain. That accident killed 45 people, making it the deadliest railway disaster in Spain since 2013, when 80 people died. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said his country’s consulate in Madrid is checking for Italian nationals among those affected and stands ready to provide assistance.