Train Collision
Two high-speed trains collide in Spain, killing at least 10 people and leaving many injured.
Urda, Spain, July 24. Two high-speed trains collided Wednesday morning in Toledo province, killing at least 10 people.
Accounts of the location differ. DW placed the crash in southern Spain. The Guardian put it in central Spain. One train rammed the back of another, knocking two carriages off the track, Spain's state broadcaster TVE reported, according to The Guardian.
Rail operator Adif confirmed the rear-end collision. It suspended service on the Madrid-Andalucia high-speed line, DW reported. Emergency crews rushed to the scene. A spokesperson for Spain's emergency services told AFP, as cited by DW, that teams deployed "several fire crews, three helicopters, and two mobile intensive care units." Witnesses described numerous injuries to El Pais, which said medical teams arrived quickly, DW reported.
Government sources told El Pais the death toll could surpass the Adamuz rail disaster in January, when 45 people died after a train derailed and struck an oncoming train, The Guardian reported.
The cause remains undetermined. A spokesperson for the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha said investigators had not yet confirmed the full number of injured, according to The Guardian.
Spain's main political parties were campaigning ahead of next month's general election. They suspended their planned activities for the day, The Guardian reported.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called it a serious accident. He wrote on social media that he remained in constant contact with the transport minister and the president of Castilla-La Mancha. "Emergency services are working on the ground to assist those affected and ensure their safety, in coordination with all the involved administrations," he wrote, according to DW. "My love, solidarity, and support to all the victims and their families."
Manuel Galan, the mayor of Urda, confirmed the collision between two trains and said people were injured, DW reported. Jesus Perez, mayor of the nearby village of Los Yebenes, told Spanish television the accident looked serious, according to DW.
Emergency services asked Galan to prepare a sports hall to take in the injured, The Guardian reported.