The crash near Toledo forced the suspension of services between Madrid and Andalusia, marking Spain’s second major deadly train disaster this year.
 
At least 64 people have been killed after two high-speed trains collided near Toledo in central Spain, prompting the suspension of rail services connecting Madrid with the southern Andalusia region, the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha said.
 
The trains collided shortly after 9am on Wednesday (28 October), reports euters. The cause of the accident and the full extent of the casualties are still being determined.
 
Spanish authorities initially reported 10 deaths before the toll rose to at least 30. The latest figure stands at 64, according to the regional government.
 
The accident occurred in Toledo province, according to Spain's rail infrastructure operator Adif, which announced the suspension of services between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia.
 
Esther Padilla, a spokesperson for the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, said the two trains were travelling in the same direction when one struck the rear of the other, which had stopped. The collision forced two carriages off the tracks.
 
The crash site was located on a flat stretch of land surrounded by fields between the towns of Urda and Los Yébenes. Images from the scene showed a carriage badly damaged, with twisted metal and debris scattered down a gravel slope.
 
Spanish Health Minister Mónica García said emergency teams were concentrating on rescuing survivors and recovering bodies from the two most severely damaged carriages. The injured were being taken to hospitals in the surrounding area.
 
The collision involved trains operated by state-owned RENFE and private rail company IRYO. Spanish media reported that the RENFE train appeared to have struck the IRYO service. Padilla said 397 passengers were aboard the RENFE train, while the IRYO train was carrying 147 passengers.
 
IRYO said it had activated its safety protocols and was working closely with the authorities. A military emergency response unit was deployed alongside firefighters, police and other emergency personnel.
 
Manuel Galán, mayor of the nearby town of Urda, said civil protection officials had asked the local administration to prepare a sports pavilion to receive and assist injured passengers.
 
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez cancelled his scheduled engagements to focus on the disaster. In a post on X, he expressed distress over the accident and extended his condolences to the victims and their families.
 
Castilla-La Mancha regional president Emiliano García-Page also said he was travelling to the scene.
 
The crash is Spain's second major deadly train disaster this year. In January, a collision between high-speed trains operated by the same companies on the same line killed 46 people.
 
That accident, which occurred after a train derailed and struck an oncoming service near Adamuz in Córdoba province, prompted renewed debate over investment in railway maintenance and the safety of Spain's high-speed rail network.
 
The latest crash comes at a politically sensitive time for Sánchez, who has called a snap election for 29 November.