By Sohaib Shams
At least 30 people were killed Wednesday when two high-speed trains collided near Toledo in central Spain, regional officials confirmed. The crash occurred around 9 a.m. local time on the Madrid-Seville line, according to ADIF, the state railway infrastructure manager.
Casualties and emergency response
Emergency services rushed to the scene near the municipality of Urda, where two cars of a stationary train were knocked off the tracks. The Castilla-La Mancha region's press office confirmed the death toll to NBC News. Mayor Manuel Galan said authorities asked him to prepare a sports hall for the injured. Renfe, the state-owned operator, set up an emergency phone line for victims' families, while Italian-owned Iryo activated its security protocols.
Official accounts
Regional spokeswoman Esther Padilla told state broadcaster TVE that both trains were heading from Madrid to Seville when one struck the rear of the other, which had stopped on the line. The cause remains unknown. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed deep sorrow and pledged full coordination of emergency efforts.
Previous collision on same line
The accident comes 10 months after a deadly crash in January involving the same operators on the same route, which left 45 people dead. Spain operates Europe's largest high-speed rail network, with over 1,900 miles of track for trains exceeding 155 mph.
