At least 10 dead after two high-speed trains collide near Toledo, Spain

Two high-speed trains collided in central Spain on Wednesday morning, Oct. 28, killing at least 10 people. Officials say the toll will go up.

The crash happened at 8:54 a.m. local time near Urda station in Toledo province, on the Madrid-Seville line, at kilometre point 118 between Mora, Orgaz and Urda. Renfe said its train 2080 collided with Iryo train 6076 on the approach to the station.

The two rear carriages of the Iryo train derailed and went down an embankment.

What officials have confirmed

Esther Padilla, spokeswoman for the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, said authorities could confirm 10 deaths but that "that number will surely rise." She said the number of injured and the cause were still being determined.

Padilla told state broadcaster TVE the two trains were heading in the same direction and that one ran into the tail of the other while it was stopped. Preliminary findings from the Transport Ministry say a Renfe AVE struck the rear of a stationary Iryo train. Rail infrastructure operator Adif described the event as a "rear-end collision between two trains."

No official cause has been announced. The investigation is open.

A higher death count is circulating

Some reports put the number of dead at 39, citing local authorities who spoke to Sky News. The regional government's own spokeswoman has confirmed 10. Until officials publish a new count, 10 is the confirmed figure and the real total is unknown.

Government sources told El País they feared the crash could be "worse than Adamuz." That refers to the January derailment in southern Spain in which a train left the track and hit an oncoming train. At least 45 people died in that crash, the deadliest in Spain since a 2013 crash that killed 80.

Local government sources also said several air ambulances were deployed and that at least one carriage was on fire.

Emergency response

Castilla-La Mancha activated its emergency plan. Civil Guard officers, firefighters, Civil Protection staff and medical teams went to the scene, and an advanced medical post was set up to treat the injured.

Manuel Galán, mayor of nearby Urda, told TVE that emergency services asked his town hall to prepare a sports pavilion for passengers. Jesús Pérez, mayor of Los Yébenes, said the accident appeared "serious."

Regional president Emiliano García-Page said on X that he was heading to the site. Federal coordinator Antonio Maíllo said he was "absolutely dismayed" and feared "the worst," according to El País.

Service halted, politics paused

Adif suspended traffic in both directions on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed line. Service between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia is stopped. Renfe said affected passengers can change or cancel tickets free of charge.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he was "shocked by the serious train accident in Toledo" and in constant contact with the transport minister and García-Page. "Emergency services are working on the ground to assist those affected," he wrote on X.

Sánchez and opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo both cancelled their engagements. Spain's main parties suspended campaign activity for the day. The country holds a general election next month.

The January crash looms

The Adamuz disaster shook Spanish confidence in the country's extensive high-speed network. A second mass-casualty crash on the same type of service lands with that history attached.

The two crashes involved different circumstances. Adamuz was a derailment followed by a collision with an oncoming train. Wednesday's crash involved two trains on the same line moving in the same direction. Officials have not linked the two.

The first questions for investigators are specific. Why was the Iryo train stopped on a high-speed line, and how did the following Renfe train reach it? Adif, Renfe and Iryo have not said what signalling or traffic-control systems were in play on that stretch.

The regional government has said it will update the casualty figures as rescue and recovery continue.