At least 68 killed in high-speed train collision in Spain

Rescue crews and crash investigators were combing through the wreckage on Wednesday after two high-speed trains collided near Toledo in central Spain. At least 68 people were killed in the accident, authorities said.

The crash involved a passenger train operated by Spain's state-owned national railway company Renfe, and one operated by the country's first private high-speed rail company, Iryo.

The collision shortly after 9 am local time caused several carriages from the Iryo train to fully derail, according to a government spokesperson for the Castilla-La Mancha autonomous region, where the accident happened.

The official added that the cause and the final death toll were not immediately known.

The ​number ‌of confirmed deaths from the train crash has ‌reached ‌68, Castilla-La Mancha's ‌regional government said on Wednesday.

A spokesperson for ADIF, the state-owned company that manages Spain's railway infrastructure, said the incident happened between the towns of Mora and Orgaz, and that the trains were both traveling from Madrid to Seville when one slammed into the other train while it was stationary.

ADIF added in a message on X: "Traffic on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed rail line has been suspended following a rear-end collision between two trains."

Iryo said it had also triggered "all emergency protocols" to ascertain what happened. "This morning, our train 6076, traveling from Madrid to Seville, was involved in an accident near Urda, at kilometer point 118," the company said, adding it was "working closely with the relevant authorities to manage the situation".

It added that all services from Madrid's Atocha station bound for Spain's south had been canceled, and that "at this time, there is no estimate for when service will be restored".

The Independent newspaper quoted Manuel Galan, the mayor of Urda, the small municipality where the accident happened, as saying the emergency services had asked him to make a sports hall available to accommodate injured passengers and to mount a triage operation.

The Spanish newspaper El Pais quoted federal coordinator Antonio Maillo as saying he feared for "the worst" after the "very serious accident" and that the death toll was likely to rise.

The Renfe train had 397 passengers on board at the time, while the Iryo train had 147. The Chinese embassy in Spain has confirmed that four Chinese nationals were aboard the trains involved in the collision, with at least one sustaining minor injuries.

Political parties across Spain canceled scheduled activities on Wednesday, while officials expressed their condolences for those affected.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he was "shocked by the serious train accident" and was in constant contact with his transport minister and other relevant authorities.

A spokesperson for Spain's emergency services told Agence France-Presse shortly after the collision that "all resources" were being deployed, including "several fire crews, three helicopters, and two mobile intensive care units".

Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia said in a short statement on X that they were following news of the accident. "We are deeply saddened and concerned by the train accident in Urda (Toledo)," the royal couple said.

"We share in the grief of the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, and we send our heartfelt support to the injured and all those affected."

The crash was the latest in a series of tragic accidents that have plagued Spain's railway system. In January, a high-speed train derailed in southern Spain into the path of an oncoming Renfe train, resulting in 46 deaths.

Xinhua and agencies contributed to this story.