At least 64 killed in Spanish high-speed train crash

At least 64 people were killed and dozens injured when two high-speed trains collided in central Spain on Wednesday, authorities said.

The collision occurred near Urda, around 130 kilometres south of Madrid, Esther Padilla, a spokeswoman for the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha, told Spanish television.

An exact number of injured passengers was not immediately available.

Two carriages of a train operated by private rail company Iryo derailed in the collision and plunged down a railway embankment, according to Spanish public broadcaster RTVE.

Padilla said 146 passengers and a baby were aboard the Iryo train, while 397 people were travelling on the second train, operated by state-owned railway company Renfe.

The cause of the accident was unclear.

The Iryo train had apparently come to a halt for unknown reasons before being struck from behind by the Renfe train shortly before 9 am (0800 GMT), according to sources at Spanish rail infrastructure operator Adif who spoke to local media.

Both trains were travelling south towards Andalusia.

Rail services between Madrid and Andalusia were suspended in both directions.

Firefighters, civil protection teams, three rescue helicopters and two mobile intensive care units were deployed to the scene. Spain's Interior Ministry also ordered the deployment of the military's emergency response unit, known as UME.

One survivor described the terrifying moments of the collision to the El País newspaper.

Jesús Jerónimo, 54, was working on his laptop aboard the Renfe train bound for Seville when the crash occurred.

"I suddenly felt a violent acceleration and was thrown with full force against the seat in front of me. People were flying through the air," he said.

Jerónimo described numerous injured and distressed passengers. He later helped emergency responders, including by holding intravenous drips, while firefighters concentrated on the more severely damaged train.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on X that he was "shocked by the serious train accident" and expressed sympathy for the victims and their families.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also expressed her condolences.

"Just received the devastating news from Toledo on the collision of two high-speed trains. My heart goes out to the victims' families and loved ones. Today, Europe mourns with you," she wrote on X.

The collision comes just nine months after another devastating rail accident near Adamuz in the southern region of Andalusia in January.

In that disaster, an Iryo high-speed train derailed and collided with an oncoming Renfe train, killing 46 people and injuring more than 150.