High-Speed Train Collision in Toledo Kills 10 Passengers
A stopped IRYO train was struck from behind by a RENFE service, derailing two cars and suspending rail lines between Madrid and Andalusia.
By John Laurent ·
Ten people died on Wednesday morning in central Spain after a high-speed train collided with the rear of a stationary service, according to regional authorities. The crash occurred in the province of Toledo, derailing two passenger cars.
Esther Padilla, the spokeswoman for the Castilla La Mancha region, confirmed the death toll to state broadcaster TVE. She noted that the current count of ten fatalities is expected to increase as rescue operations continue. The impact involved a train operated by the state-owned RENFE and a service run by the private carrier IRYO.
Padilla explained that both trains were traveling in the same direction from Madrid toward Seville. The moving RENFE train struck the IRYO service while it had already come to a halt. Authorities have not yet identified the cause of the collision.
The accident disrupted major rail routes. Spain's rail operator ADIF suspended service between Madrid, Ciudad Real, and Andalusia following the incident. A total of 397 passengers were aboard the RENFE train, while 147 riders were on the IRYO service.
Local officials mobilized immediately to assist the injured. Manuel Galán, the mayor of the nearby town of Urda, stated that civil protection authorities requested his town hall to prepare a sports pavilion for medical care. Emiliano García-Page, the regional president, traveled to the crash site to oversee the response.
This collision marks the second major incident involving these two operators in less than a year. In January, a separate crash in southern Spain killed 45 people when a train derailed and struck oncoming traffic. That January event was the deadliest rail disaster in Spain since 2013, when 80 people died in a similar high-speed accident.
Source: NPR
