A desperate rescue operation is underway in Spain after a collision between two high-speed trains killed at least 39 people and left scores injured, with several carriages hurled down a railway embankment.
The accident occurred on the Madrid-Andalusia railway line between Los Yébenes and Urda in Toledo, prompting the deployment of emergency workers to rescue survivors and search for passengers trapped in the wreckage.
Local authorities confirmed the death toll to Sky News, although the full number of casualties was yet to be established.
Reports indicated that a Renfe AVE train travelling from Madrid to Seville collided with an Iryo train moving in the opposite direction. Both trains were reportedly carrying more than 400 passengers.
Images from the scene showed badly damaged coaches scattered along the railway corridor, with some carriages lying down a steep embankment.
While some passengers managed to escape, others were believed to be trapped inside the wreckage. Two carriages reportedly derailed completely, while the other train appeared to have left the tracks but remained upright on the embankment.
Firefighters, paramedics and other emergency personnel rushed to the scene to evacuate passengers and provide medical assistance to the injured.
The tragedy also triggered anxiety among relatives of passengers, with crowds gathering at Madrid’s Atocha railway station to seek information about their loved ones.
Carlos Larquin, whose aunt, Silvia, was travelling alone on the Iryo train to Seville, said he had been unable to reach her by phone.
“I don’t know if she’s alive or injured because she isn’t picking up the phone. I have her ticket,” he told El País.
Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, expressed shock over the incident and extended his support to the victims and their families.
In a statement on X, Sánchez said emergency services were working at the scene to assist those affected and ensure their safety in coordination with the relevant authorities.
He expressed his “affection, solidarity, and support” for the victims and their families.
Adif, Spain’s railway infrastructure agency, subsequently announced the suspension of train services along the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed line.
The agency said the collision occurred at kilometre point 118 and involved trains operated by Renfe and Iryo on the Madrid-Seville route.
It added that trains on the affected line had been stopped at stations along the route, advising passengers to contact the relevant railway operators for further information.
The latest disaster comes nine months after a train crash in Adamuz, Córdoba province, killed 46 people and injured nearly 300 in one of Spain’s deadliest railway accidents.
A six-year-old girl was the only member of her family to survive that incident. Her relatives had been returning home after watching the musical The Lion King.
