‘The whole of Spain is grieving’: At least 64 dead after two high-speed trains crash

A high-speed train has slammed into the rear of another train that had stopped, derailing two cars and killing at least 64 people in Spain’s second major train accident this year.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the whole country was grieving after lives were shattered and families torn apart in the crash on Wednesday morning (evening AEDT) in the province of Toledo, near the capital of Madrid.

The tragedy involved one train from the state-owned Renfe company and one from the private rail company Iryo. Rail service was suspended between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia.

Regional government spokeswoman Esther Padilla told state broadcaster RTVE that the accident was between two high-speed trains heading in the same direction from Madrid to Seville and that one ran into the tail of the other while it was stopped, knocking two of its cars off the track. 

Transport Minister Oscar Puente later said the Renfe train was authorised to continue its journey despite there being an active red signal because of a stationary train on the track ahead.

He said the red signal was issued due to a computer communications failure that automatically stopped traffic but the wrong decision to restart the Renfe train was a breach of protocol.

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Padilla said that 397 passengers were in the RENFE train and 147 passengers in the Iryo train.

Ambulances, funeral home vans and helicopters were parked next to one of the trains on an elevated section of track, while twisted metal, broken panels and wreckage were strewn across an embankment down which at least three carriages had plunged.

Just after 2pm on Wednesday (12am on Thursday AEDT), Castilla-la Mancha regional government said the death toll had risen to 64.

Miguel, a passenger travelling with several colleagues in the rear car of one of the trains, described to COPE radio the moment of the accident.

“We heard a massive roar, a truly enormous thud that went on for 10 seconds, as if the train were about to derail. Through the right-hand window, we could see a wrecked train – I imagine it must have been the other one,” he said.

Eduarda, a passenger on the Iryo train, told Cadena SER radio she felt a strong impact that threw her forward, initially making her think the train had made an emergency stop.

She only realised the seriousness of the accident after seeing injured people and being told to evacuate.

After climbing down an embankment to safety, she saw what she described as a catastrophic scene, with part of the train hanging down the slope and a fire in one carriage.

“I saw dead people,” she said.

Emergency responders, including a helicopter, police and ambulances, arrived within about 20 minutes, she said.

Politicians express shock

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he was “shocked” by the tragedy.

“I remain in constant contact with the minister of transport, and with the president of Castilla-La Mancha,” Sánchez said on X.

“Emergency services are working on the ground to assist those affected and ensure their safety, in coordination with all the involved administrations.

“My affection, solidarity, and support to all the victims and their families.”

Hours later, on a visit to the crash site, he said “the whole of Spain is grieving”.

“Lives have been shattered, families have been torn apart, the pain is immense,” he said, according to a BBC translation, before announcing three days of mourning.

He said if there was any negligence, it would come to light.

“We will need to do everything in our power to restore public confidence in our high-speed railway network. It is unacceptable for a country like Spain to experience two high-speed rail accidents in the same year,” he said.

The mayor of the nearby town of Urda, Manuel Galán, told RTVE that passengers had been injured and that civil protection authorities had asked his town hall to prepare a sports pavilion to attend to passengers.

The mayor of another nearby village, Jesús Pérez of Los Yébenes said the situation was “horrific” and pointed to a severe tragedy.

“They are telling me about mutilations and very serious injuries,” he told RTVE.

Health Minister Mónica García urged people in a post on X to donate blood.

A military emergency brigade was deployed to help emergency services, firefighters and police.

Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia said in a short statement on X that they were following news of the accident.

“We are deeply saddened and concerned by the train accident in Urda (Toledo),” the royal couple said.

“We share in the grief of the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, and we send our heartfelt support to the injured and all those affected.”

The regional president of Castilla La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, wrote on social media that he was on his way to the crash site.

It is the second deadly accident involving the same two companies in less than a year on the line connecting Madrid to the southern Andalusia region.

In January, 45 people died in southern Spain when a train jumped the track and hit an oncoming train. The crash was the deadliest in Spain since a 2013 crash that killed 80 people.

The January incident shook the confidence the European country has in its extensive high-speed rail network.

Spain has laid some 3900 kilometres of high-speed rail tracks over more than three decades for its 49 million residents.

Only China, with 45,000 kilometres for its 1.4 billion people, has more high-speed track, according to the International Union of Railways.

Only recently did Spain open its rail network to private companies to compete against Renfe. Iryo started operating in Spain in 2022.

- Reported with Associated Press and Reuters