CATASTROPHE ON THE RAILS! Two trains collided in Spain’s Toledo province on Wednesday morning, and at least 30 people are confirmed dead with the toll expected to rise, the BBC reported.
The crash happened just after 09:00 local time between Mora and Orgaz, about 140km (100 miles) south of Madrid. Rail operator Adif says it involved a Renfe train and one run by private operator Iryo on the Madrid to Seville route. Broadcaster RTVE, quoting the transport ministry, said the Renfe train rear-ended the Iryo train, which was apparently stationary. At least two carriages went down an embankment.
More than 500 people were believed to be aboard: 146 passengers plus a baby on the Iryo train and 397 on the Renfe train, according to the Castilla-La Mancha government. Eighty people are being treated for injuries, 50 of them in serious condition. The cause hasn’t been officially confirmed.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he was “shocked by the serious train accident in Toledo,” and he and other politicians cancelled Wednesday’s engagements, including campaigning for next month’s election. Hospitals suspended planned surgeries and a Madrid blood centre appealed for “urgent” donations.
This is the second high-speed rail tragedy in Spain this year. In January a derailment in southern Spain sent carriages into the path of a Renfe train, killing 46 people.
Featured image: AI-generated editorial illustration by Bugle Blast.
Sources: BBC News
Leave a Reply