At least 39 killed as two high-speed trains collide in Spain

At least 39 people have been killed and scores injured after two high-speed trains collided in Spain, sending carriages off the railway embankment.

The collision occurred on the Madrid-Andalusia line between the towns of Los Yébenes and Urda in Toledo, as emergency services continued rescue operations at the scene.

Local authorities told Sky News that at least 39 people had died, although the full number of casualties and injured passengers was yet to be confirmed.

The Renfe AVE high-speed train had reportedly departed Madrid at 8 a.m. for Seville when it collided with an Iryo train travelling in the opposite direction. Both trains were believed to have been carrying more than 400 passengers.

Footage from the scene showed carriages scattered down a steep embankment, with debris and badly damaged train cars along the railway line.

Surviving passengers were seen scrambling to safety, while some people were believed to remain trapped inside the wreckage.

Two carriages were reported to have derailed completely, while the other train appeared to have left the tracks but remained upright on top of the embankment.

Eyewitnesses said several people were injured as paramedics and firefighters rushed to the scene to assist survivors and evacuate passengers.

Meanwhile, crowds gathered at Madrid’s Atocha railway station seeking information about relatives who were aboard the trains.

Carlos Larquin said his aunt, Silvia, was travelling alone on the Iryo train to Seville but had stopped answering her phone.

He told El País: “I don’t know if she’s alive or injured because she isn’t picking up the phone. I have her ticket.’

Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, said he was shocked by the accident and expressed solidarity with the victims and their families.

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He 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.”

Adif, the agency responsible for Spain’s railway infrastructure, confirmed that train services on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed line had been suspended following the collision.

In a statement, it said: “Train traffic on the Madrid-Andalucía high-speed line has been interrupted due to a collision between two trains.

“The incident occurred between Mora and Orgaz and Urda, at PK 118, between a Renfe train and another from the Iryo company, both covering the Madrid-Sevilla route.

“All trains on this line are currently stopped at stations along the route. For more information, they should contact the various companies operating on it.”

The latest collision comes nine months after a train crash in Adamuz, Córdoba province, killed 46 people and injured nearly 300 in one of Spain’s worst railway disasters.

A six-year-old girl was the only survivor of her family in that incident. Her relatives had been travelling home after watching the musical The Lion King.