At least 30 people were killed in a train crash on Wednesday morning in Urda, about 100 kilometres south of Madrid, a spokesperson for the Castile-La Mancha regional government said.
The president of the region said that at least 80 people were injured, with 50 in critical condition.
Sources at the Ministry of Transport have told Europa Press that, according to initial reports, a Renfe high-speed train is believed to have rear-ended an Iryo train. As a result, two carriages of the Iryo train derailed.
There were 147 passengers on the Iryo train, including a baby. The Renfe high-speed train carried 397 passengers. The regional government spokesperson said the cause of the train collision is still unknown.
In a statement on X, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he was “deeply shocked” by the serious train accident. He is in close contact with Transport Minister Oscar Puente and the regional president of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page. The Prime Minister expressed his condolences, solidarity and support for the victims and their families.
The accident took place on the Madrid–Andalusia high-speed line, forcing the suspension of train services, according to a report by the state-owned railway company Renfe on X.
Emergency services responded at the scene, though no further details were immediately available.
In January, a high-speed rail crash also took place in Spain in Adamuz, near Córdoba. In that incident, a high-speed train carrying over 300 passengers derailed and ended up on an adjacent track. The derailed train collided with another high-speed train travelling in the opposite direction, carrying around 200 passengers.
Another accident also took place on the Spanish rail network in January, in the town of Gelida, roughly 25 kilometres west of Barcelona.
In a message posted on X, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever shared his condolences with the families of the victims of the crash. "The human suffering is immeasurable. I would like to express my sincere condolences to the victims and their loved ones. Our entire country shares in the grief of the Spanish people," De Wever wrote in Spanish.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot offered his sincere sympathy to the families of those who died. He also wished the injured and their loved ones strength, and said Spain could count on Belgium’s full solidarity.
Belgians concerned about relatives or in need of assistance can contact the Belgian embassy in Madrid.
