High-speed train collision in Spain claims at least 64 lives — The Independent

In Spain, at least 64 people were killed in a collision between two high-speed trains on the section between the towns of Urda and Los Yébenes near Toledo. According to The Independent, the accident occurred on a flat section of track surrounded by fields. Several carriages of both trains derailed as a result of the impact, with at least three carriages falling from an embankment.

Preliminary version of the accident

A person informed about the circumstances of the disaster said that an Iryo operator high-speed train was stopped near Toledo due to a signalling malfunction. According to this person, this occurred on the order of railway infrastructure manager ADIF.

Another high-speed train operated by Renfe then crashed at high speed into the stationary train. Several carriages of both trains derailed as a result of the collision. Iryo and Renfe did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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Rescue operation and line status

Rescuers continued to inspect the wreckage in search of the dead. Hundreds of ambulances, hearses and helicopters were at the scene. Evacuated passengers were leaving the accident area by road, while volunteers provided them with water.

Traffic on the Madrid–Andalusia high-speed line was suspended. Nine months before this accident, a collision involving trains of the same operators on the same line claimed 46 lives.

A source familiar with data from the preliminary investigation into the current disaster told Reuters that experts at the scene had found wear at a joint between rail sections. According to the preliminary version, the defective joint created a gap that widened as trains passed over it.