Madrid: At least 46 people were killed and several others injured in a collision between two high-speed trains near Madrid in Spain early on Wednesday.
Rail services between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia was suspended after the accident.
The crash happened in the province of Toledo at 9.00 am local time, the country’s rail system operator ADIF said.
“Traffic on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed rail line has been suspended following a rear-end collision between two trains,” ADIF said in a message posted on X on Wednesday.
A southbound state-owned Renfe AVE train rear-ended a stationary Iryo train on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed rail line. The impact sent carriages tumbling down an embankment, as reported by NDTV.
There were 146 passengers and a baby traveling on one train and 397 passengers on the other, Esther Padilla, the spokesperson of the regional government Castilla and La Mancha, said, as reported by CNN.
Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez said he was “shocked by the serious train incident” in Toledo. In a post on X, Sánchez added that emergency services are on the ground to assist those impacted in the crash.
“My affection, solidarity, and support to all the victims and their families,” he said.
Authorities are preparing a facility to receive any potential injured individuals, following a request from the civil protection agency, the mayor of Urda, Manuel Galán, said in an interview with the radio station Cadena Ser.
Speaking to TVE España, Jesús Pérez Martín, the mayor of Los Yébenes, said: “We have very little information; I’ve been told it’s a serious accident.”
The crash took place between the towns of Mora, Orgaz, and Urda, according to the railway infrastructure manager ADIF.
Both trains were traveling along the route connecting the capital city Madrid with Seville in Spain’s southern Andalusia province.
The extent of the damage and information regarding potential injuries currently remain unknown.
