Deadly train collision shocks Spain: 30 dead, rescue operation underway

The scene of the crash was chaotic as emergency responders rushed to rescue passengers trapped inside the damaged carriages, CNN reported.

Dozens of fire engines, ambulances and police vehicles were deployed at the site, while emergency workers searched through the wreckage of several heavily damaged carriages of a train operated by Iryo.

Authorities evacuated a busload of passengers who had sustained no serious injuries from the crash site. Some of the passengers told CNN they were being transported to their original destination of Seville.

The first reports of the collision were received at around 8:45 a.m. local time (3:45 a.m. ET), a regional emergency services spokesperson told CNN.

According to initial reports, the Iryo-operated train was either stationary or moving slowly when it was struck by another train travelling at high speed.

Following the accident, Spain’s state-owned rail operator Renfe suspended train services between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia, local media reported.

Political parties across Spain also cancelled scheduled events following the tragedy.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed shock over the accident in a post on X, saying he was in constant contact with Transport Minister Óscar Puente and Castilla-La Mancha regional president Emiliano García-Page.

Sánchez added that emergency services were working at the scene to assist those affected and ensure their safety.

Rafael Escudero, spokesperson for the Railway Union, described the collision as “very unusual” in comments to El País.

A passenger travelling in one of the rear carriages told the newspaper that he felt a “strong impact” approximately 40 minutes into the journey.

The cause of the collision remains unclear, and an investigation is underway.

According to El País, preliminary findings suggested that an operator at Madrid’s Atocha control centre may have mistakenly instructed a Renfe train to proceed despite an Iryo train occupying the track. The report said the possible error may have contributed to a rear-end collision, although the trains’ speed at the time of impact had not yet been established.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash.