Spain halts Wednesday government operations after 46 die in Toledo train crash
Two carriages fell from an embankment when a high-speed AVE train rear-ended an Iryo service near Urda.
By Giulia Gallagher ·
The Spanish government suspended its official schedule for Wednesday after two high-speed trains collided in the province of Toledo. Authorities confirmed that at least 46 people died in the accident, which occurred shortly after 9 a.m. local time on Wednesday. The incident took place on the track between Los Yébenes and Urda.
Spanish state broadcaster TVE reported that the trains were traveling in the same direction when one struck the rear of the other. The impact knocked two carriages off the tracks, and sources from the 112 emergency services said those carriages fell down an embankment. The collision involved an AVE high-speed train and an Iryo service, with reports indicating the trains were operating on routes to and from Seville.
Rail infrastructure operator ADIF confirmed the timing of the incident. Rail operator Renfe announced that services between Madrid, Ciudad Real, and Andalusia were suspended. Local authorities told Sky News that emergency services continued to respond to the scene, while warning that the death toll could rise.
Manuel Galans, the mayor of Urda, told TVE that passengers were injured. Civil protection authorities asked the town hall to prepare a local sports pavilion to receive affected passengers. Antonio Sanz, the Andalusian minister for the presidency, health, and emergencies, said mobile intensive care units and a logistics support vehicle from the regional health service were dispatched to the crash site.
In Madrid, Deputy Mayor Inmaculada Sanz said personnel from SAMUR, the city's emergency medical service, were heading to Atocha station. A room at the station is being prepared to support relatives of victims and the injured. Sanz noted that a similar arrangement was used after the January Adamuz train accident, where a dedicated room on the station's first floor provided care and psychosocial support to families.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez posted on X that he was deeply saddened by the accident in Urda. He expressed solidarity and support to the victims and their families. Sánchez added that emergency services were working to ensure the safety of those affected.
This crash follows a previous incident in January where a train derailed in southern Spain and struck an oncoming train, killing 45 people.
Source: Bristol Post
