Spain Rail Crash: High-Speed Train Strikes Stopped Service, Killing 10

A high-speed train crashed into the rear of a stopped train in central Spain on Wednesday, killing at least 10 people. The impact threw two cars off the tracks. Authorities in the Castilla La Mancha region confirmed the death toll, though officials warned the number is expected to increase.

The collision occurred in the province of Toledo during the morning rush. Rail operator ADIF suspended service between Madrid, Ciudad Real, and Andalusia. Both trains were traveling from Madrid toward Seville when the moving service struck the halted one.

Esther Padilla, a regional spokeswoman, stated that the cause of the crash remains unknown. She noted that both trains operated in the same direction. The vehicles belonged to state-owned RENFE and private carrier IRYO. A total of 397 passengers rode on the RENFE train, while 147 were aboard the IRYO service.

Manuel Galán, mayor of the nearby town of Urda, said civil protection authorities requested a local sports pavilion to treat injured passengers. Regional president Emiliano García-Page traveled to the scene. He posted on X that he was en route to the crash site to oversee the response.

This incident follows a deadly collision in January involving the same two rail companies. That crash killed 45 people when a train derailed and struck oncoming traffic. It was the deadliest rail disaster in Spain since 2013, when 80 people died in a similar collision.