Spain collision: at least 10 reported dead after two trains collide in Toledo

Crash in Toledo province

ADIF said the collision happened Wednesday morning in Toledo province. The trains involved were travelling on Spain’s high-speed rail network. A spokesperson for Castilla-La Mancha’s regional government said the cause of the crash and the number of people injured were still unknown. At least 10 people are feared dead, with many more injured.

Trains and passengers involved

The local government spokesperson told TVE that the death toll “will almost certainly rise,” she said. El País reported that the trains were likely to be Iryo 7076 and AVE 2080.

Iryo 7076 was believed to have 146 passengers and one baby aboard. AVE 2080 was reported to have 397 passengers.

Spain’s record of rail crashes

The Toledo collision recalls last year’s crash in Adamuz, Córdoba province, where 46 people died and 152 were injured after two high-speed trains collided. In 2013, 80 people died when a train derailed near Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain. An investigation found it had been travelling at 179km/h on a section with an 80km/h speed limit.

A large high-speed network

Spain’s high-speed railway network has almost 4,000km of track, according to infrastructure administrator Adif. The operator describes it as Europe’s largest and the world’s second largest, after China. The number of injuries and the cause of the Toledo crash remain undetermined, according to the regional government.