At least 39 people have been killed and dozens of others have been injured after two high-speed trains collided in Spain.
The accident took place just after 9 a.m. (0800 GMT), when a Renfe and an Iryo train crashed, causing two Iryo wagons to derail, a government spokesperson for the Castilla La Mancha region said.
The incident has prompted the suspension of the line connecting Madrid to the southern Andalusia region, rail operator Adif said on Wednesday.
The operator confirmed in a post on X: "Traffic on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed rail line has been suspended following a rear-end collision between two trains."
Witnesses have told Spanish newspaper El Pais that there are injuries and emergency medical teams have arrived at the scene.
One of the trains involved was heading from Madrid to Seville, according to the report.
Manuel Galan, the mayor of Urda near the central city of Toledo, said he had been asked by emergency services to prepare a sports hall to accommodate the injured.
Two of the rail cars involved reportedly derailed from the tracks and fell down an embankment, the report added.
Spanish media ESDiario said the crash involving the AVE and Iryo trains has left "at least one train car heavily damaged and off the tracks".
The line is said to be popular among British tourists travelling across Spain in the summer months, as it takes passengers from the capital city to the southern coast.
According to local government sources, several air ambulances were deployed and at least one of the train cars is on fire.
Source: GB News
-Agencies
