At least 30 people killed in Spain when two high-speed trains collide

PASSENGER DESCRIBES SEEING FATALITIES

Castilla-La Mancha regional government said the death toll had risen to 30 from 10 after earlier warning it could rise.

Jesús Pérez Martín, mayor of the nearby town of Los Yébenes, said the situation was “horrific” and pointed to a severe tragedy.

“They are telling me about mutilations and very serious injuries,” he told RTVE.

Health Minister Mónica García urged people in a post on X to donate blood.

Eduarda, a passenger on the Iryo train, told Cadena SER radio she felt a strong impact that threw her forward, initially making her think the train had made an emergency stop.

She only realised the seriousness of the accident after seeing injured people and being told to evacuate.

After climbing down an embankment to safety, she saw what she described as a catastrophic scene, with part of the train hanging down the slope and a fire in one carriage. Emergency responders, including a helicopter, police and ambulances, arrived within about 20 minutes, she said. “I saw dead people,” she said.

SECOND FATAL ACCIDENT ON LINE IN A YEAR

Castilla-La Mancha region spokesperson Esther Padilla said 147 people had been travelling on the Iryo train and 397 on the Renfe train.

The collision comes nine months after an accident between high-speed trains belonging to the same operators on the same line that killed 46 people.

That crash in January, which occurred after a train derailed and smashed into an oncoming train near Adamuz, in Cordoba province, triggered a debate about the level of investment in railway maintenance in recent years.