UPDATE - At least 64 dead, 80 injured in high-speed train crash in central Spain
- Authorities warn death toll could rise further as emergency crews continue recovery operations following collision near Toledo
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- Authorities warn death toll could rise further as emergency crews continue recovery operations following collision near Toledo
UPDATES WITH LATEST DEATH TOLL, SANCHEZ'S TRAVEL, CAMPAIGN EVENTS; REVISES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE; EDITS THROUGHOUT
By Alyssa McMurtry
OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - At least 64 people were killed when two high-speed trains collided in central Spain on Wednesday, Spanish media reported, including public broadcaster RTVE.
Emiliano Garcia-Page, president of Castile-La Mancha, warned that the death toll could rise further, Spanish daily El Pais reported.
A Renfe AVE train struck the rear of an Iryo train that had stopped and then resumed moving, according to passengers. Two carriages derailed and fell down an embankment, emergency services said.
Garcia-Page said emergency workers had located 34 bodies aboard the Iryo train, while another six people were confirmed dead inside one of its carriages but had yet to be recovered.
Another 24 fatalities were recorded aboard the AVE train, he said.
"We are talking about an enormous number. I am deeply sorry for the families and for everyone affected," Garcia-Page said, describing the collision as an "unmitigated tragedy."
He also confirmed that around 80 people were injured, including approximately 55 receiving treatment at hospitals across the region.
"There were dead people underneath the trains. So many people couldn't get out, screams ... it was horrifying," Eduarda, a passenger on the Iryo train, told Spanish radio station Cadena SER.
Wednesday's crash occurred near Urda station in Toledo province at around 8.54 am local time (0754GMT).
Rail infrastructure operator Adif said both trains were serving the Madrid-Seville route. Services linking Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia were suspended.
Emergency crews, including firefighters and medical helicopters, were deployed to the scene. The Castilla-La Mancha regional government activated its emergency response plan.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez canceled his scheduled engagements to monitor the emergency and was reportedly traveling to the accident site.
All political parties except the far-right Vox party canceled their campaign events scheduled for Wednesday.
Vox leader Santiago Abascal blamed Sanchez for the accident, accusing his government of having "destroyed absolutely everything."
European leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, offered their condolences.
The cause remained under investigation, though initial reports pointed to human error.
Garcia-Page declined to address a possible cause, saying initial assessments appeared "coherent" but it was not his place to comment.
He said the immediate priority was responding to the emergency and assisting victims and their families.
The collision came nine months after the Adamuz rail disaster in southern Spain, which killed 46 people and injured more than 120.
It was Spain's deadliest train crash since the 2013 derailment near Santiago de Compostela, which killed 80 people.
Alyssa Mcmurtry