At least 10 dead after high-speed trains collide near Toledo

At least 10 people were killed when two high-speed trains crashed into each other in central Spain on Wednesday, officials in the country said.

“That number will surely rise,” said Esther Padilla, spokeswoman for the Castilla La Mancha region.

The accident took place just after 9 a.m. local time (5 a.m. ET) between the towns of Mora and Orgaz in the country’s central Toledo province, according to ADIF, which manages Spain’s state-owned railway infrastructure.

As a result, it said the line between the capital Madrid and the southern Andalusia region had been suspended, it said in a statement on X.

The crash occurred between a Renfe train and an Iryo company train travelling from Madrid to Seville, ADIF said.

The crash caused two Iryo wagons to derail, a government spokesperson for the Castilla La Mancha region told Reuters, adding that the cause and number of dead and injured were still being determined.

Manuel Galan, the mayor of Urda near the central city of Toledo, told Spanish state broadcaster TVE he had been asked by emergency services to prepare a sports hall to accommodate the injured.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he was “deeply saddened by the serious train accident in Toledo.” He added, that emergency services “are working on-site to assist those affected and ensure their safety, in coordination with all relevant authorities.”

“My heartfelt sympathy, solidarity, and support go out to all the victims and their families,” Sanchez wrote on X.

In January, 45 people died in southern Spain when a train jumped the track and hit an oncoming train. The crash was the deadliest in Spain since a 2013 crash that killed 80 people.

Spain has the largest high-speed rail network in Europe for trains moving more than 155 mph, with more than 1,900 miles of track, according to the European Union.

This is a developing story, please check back for updates.