High-speed train collision kills at least 10 in Spain
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on L’essentiel, La Nouvelle Tribune, IOL and Maghrebemergent
A collision between two high-speed trains in the Spanish province of Toledo killed at least 10 people on Wednesday morning, according to regional authorities cited by AFP and IOL. La Nouvelle Tribune, citing El Español, nevertheless reported a provisional toll of 46 dead and many injured. The Madrid-Andalusia line has been suspended and emergency response efforts reinforced, according to ADIF and IOL.
The collision occurred shortly before 9am in the town of Urda, about 130 kilometres south of Madrid, an emergency services spokesperson quoted by IOL and AFP said. Rescue teams deployed several firefighting crews, three helicopters and two mobile intensive care units. ADIF confirmed the accident and the suspension of the high-speed line linking Madrid with the south.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he was “in shock” and expressed his support for the victims and their families, according to IOL. He cancelled his participation in an obesity summit in Madrid, while the Socialist Party suspended its campaign activities, one month before the snap legislative elections on 29 November.
Rail company Iryo confirmed that one of its trains was involved. Spain’s high-speed rail network, which has expanded considerably in recent years, is the world’s second-largest after China’s, according to IOL. The line involved links Madrid with Seville and was inaugurated in 1992 for the Seville Universal Exposition.
