Train disaster in Spain: 46 dead after two high-speed trains collide in Toledo, local media report | Best Update

At least 46 people have died after two high-speed trains collided in central Spain, Spanish media ABC reported. The collision happened on Wednesday morning in the province of Toledo. Rail services between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalucia have been suspended until further notice.

“Operations on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed rail line have been suspended following a rear-end collision between two trains,” Spanish rail infrastructure operator Adif said in a statement published on X.

Esther Padilla, spokeswoman for the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha, confirmed that 147 people were traveling on the Iryo train, while the Renfe AVE train was carrying 397 passengers.

Video footage broadcast by regional channel Castilla-La Mancha Television showed the derailed train, with at least one carriage still stuck on an elevated section of track. Debris, including broken metal and broken panels, was scattered along the embankment under the railroad tracks.

Spanish public broadcaster TVE said the accident involved two high-speed trains traveling in the same direction. One train reportedly rammed into the rear of another, causing two carriages to derail.

Was human error responsible for the train crash?

Sources from Spain’s transport ministry told ABC that human error may have caused the accident. An employee of the state-owned railway infrastructure operator Adif, who was allegedly working to repair a fault in the main security system, is suspected of failing to warn the Renfe AVE train of the Iryo train ahead.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who is seeking re-election next month, expressed shock at the train collision.

In a post on X, he said: “Shocked by the serious train accident in Toledo. I remain in constant contact with the Minister of Transport and the President of Castilla-La Mancha.”

“Emergency services are working on the scene to assist those affected and ensure their safety in coordination with all involved authorities,” he wrote.

The latest collision comes nine months after a separate accident involving high-speed trains operated by the same companies on the same rail line killed 46 people.

The January accident occurred near Adamuz in the province of Córdoba when a train derailed and collided with an oncoming train. The incident has raised questions about whether enough funding has been allocated to railway maintenance in recent years.