Two High-Speed Trains Collide Near Toledo, Spain, With Deaths Reported
Two high-speed passenger trains collided and derailed near Toledo, Spain, on the morning of Oct. 28. Castilla-La Mancha spokeswoman Esther Padilla said she had been given a death toll of at least 10 and that the toll would increase.
Other reporting gave a higher figure. The Independent reported at least 39 people killed. The count is still being updated.
According to The New York Times, one train ran into the back of the other, a type of collision known as a rear-end crash. Two carriages went down an embankment, the sloping ground beside the track. The trains were a Renfe train carrying 397 passengers and an Iryo train carrying about 150. Both were travelling the Madrid–Sevilla route.
Transportation ministry spokesman Isaac Barrientos said two carriages of the Iryo train derailed, meaning they came off the rails. Euronews reported that the collision happened at 8:54 a.m. local time.
Spain's rail authority, Adif, said the crash took place between the towns of Mora and Orgaz and Urda. All high-speed traffic on the Madrid–Andalusia route was suspended after the crash.
The accident follows another serious rail crash in Spain. According to The New York Times, a crash in January on a southern line, involving the same carriers, killed 46 people.
