At least 30 people are reported to have been killed in a collision between two trains in the Spanish province of Toledo.
The high-speed trains collided shortly before 9:15 a.m. local time (4:15 a.m. ET), when emergency services were deployed to the scene. It occurred on the Madrid to Seville line, with a stationary vehicle reportedly being hit by the other at a speed of over 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour).
Authorities said they would open a local sports hall to provide assistance to those affected, with an Advanced Medical Post being set up at the site of the crash to triage the injured, provide medical care and transfer those requiring further treatment to hospitals. It is currently unclear how many people suffered injuries.
Railway infrastructure manager Adif is investigating the sequence of events surrounding the accident, Spanish news agency EFE reported on Wednesday.
Adif said in a post on X on Wednesday morning that traffic on the Madrid to Andalucía high-speed line had been interrupted.
Newspaper El Pais reported that officials fear the number of confirmed fatalities may rise, with sources telling the outlet that the collision could have a worse outcome than a high-speed crash in southern Spain that killed 45 people earlier this year.
“We don’t have a figure, but it’s going to be a major tragedy,” Spain’s Health Minister Mónica García told a television news station, according to El Pais.
Officials currently do not know for certain what caused the collision, but local reports said initial analyses pointed to human error. Government sources told El Pais that it appeared an Adif operator made a mistake when railway signaling systems failed. The systems are automated, but they rely on manual operation when signals fail.
The trains were operated by AVE and Iryo, according to local media, with at least two carriages said to have fallen down an embankment after the crash. More than 500 passengers were on board the two trains, El Pais said.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a post on X that he was “shocked” by the accident.
“Emergency services are working on the ground to assist those affected and ensure their safety, in coordination with all the involved administrations,” he said, according to a translation. “My affection, solidarity, and support to all the victims and their families.”
Sanchez’s political future will be tested in a snap election next month, which he called following widespread unrest over Spain’s housing crisis.
Santiago Abascal, leader of the far-right Vox party — which is expected to make gains when Spain goes to the polls — pointed the finger at Sanchez’s government over the train accident on Wednesday.
“Tragedy again. Rage again over the neglect, the ruin, and the betrayal suffered by the Spanish people,” he said in a post on X.
— CNBC’s Charlotte Reed contributed to this article.
