A major railway tragedy has shaken Spain, where a collision between two high-speed trains has left dozens dead and many injured.
According to the regional authorities of Castile-La Mancha, the confirmed death toll has reached 64, while search and rescue operations continue at the scene.
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The accident has also halted traffic on the railway line linking Madrid and Andalusia.
The incident occurred shortly after 09:00 local time, between the towns of Los Yébenes and Urda, in the province of Toledo.
More than 500 passengers on the two trains
According to regional government spokesperson Ester Padilla, more than 500 passengers were travelling on the two trains. Specifically, 147 people were on the Iryo train, while another 397 were on the Renfe train.
According to Reuters, the accident involved an AVE high-speed train travelling from Madrid to Seville and an Iryo train travelling in the opposite direction.
Witnesses described a scene of chaos, with people seriously injured and train cars derailed. According to Spanish media reports, some of the cars ended up down an embankment beside the railway.
Shocking accounts from the scene
Los Yébenes Mayor Jesús Pérez Martín described the situation as horrific, reporting severe injuries and people with amputations.
A passenger on the Iryo train, identified as Eduarda, said the impact was so strong that it threw her forward. At first, she thought the train had made an emergency stop, but she realized the scale of the tragedy when she saw the injured and was told to get off the train.
After reaching a safe area, she saw badly damaged train cars, part of the train hanging over a slope and one car engulfed in flames.
She said rescue teams, police and ambulances arrived at the scene within about 20 minutes. “I saw dead people,” she told Cadena SER radio.
Spanish Health Minister Mónica García urged citizens to donate blood to help the injured.
Spanish government and European Union respond
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez cancelled all his engagements for the day, saying he was shocked by the accident. The opposition People’s Party also cancelled its scheduled activities.
The European Union said it was ready to provide the Spanish authorities with any assistance needed.
European Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho stressed that it was still too early to draw conclusions about the cause of the accident.
Investigations are expected to establish the full circumstances of the tragedy, while emergency crews continue working at the scene.
