Two high-speed passenger trains collided in Spain’s central Toledo province on Wednesday morning, forcing the suspension of rail services between Madrid and the southern Andalusia region, railway authorities said.

The collision occurred at around 8:54 a.m. local time near the town of Urda, between Los Yébenes and Urda, according to Spain’s emergency services and rail infrastructure operator Adif.

The trains involved were a Renfe-operated AVE service and a train operated by private rail company Iryo. Initial reports indicated that two carriages had left the tracks and fallen down an embankment, while emergency teams were dispatched to the scene.

The death toll remains unconfirmed in the latest reports reviewed. Although some accounts have circulated claims of at least 39 deaths, those figures could not be independently verified against the latest available reporting. Authorities had not yet released a definitive casualty count.

Adif announced that traffic on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed line had been suspended following what it described as a rear-end collision between two trains. The disruption affects services connecting Madrid with destinations in southern Spain, including Seville.

Emergency responders, including firefighters, civil protection teams and medical units, were working at the scene. Local officials were also preparing facilities to accommodate injured passengers and support emergency operations.

Renfe said arrangements had been made to allow affected passengers to change or cancel their bookings without charge, according to Spanish media reports.

The precise circumstances of the collision remain unclear. Authorities have not announced an official cause, and further information is expected as emergency operations continue.

The incident comes amid heightened public attention to railway safety in Spain following a deadly high-speed train accident near Adamuz, in Córdoba province, in January 2026. That collision killed dozens of people and prompted a major investigation into the circumstances surrounding the derailment.

Wednesday’s crash is expected to prompt renewed scrutiny of railway safety, although investigators have yet to establish whether any infrastructure, signalling or operational problems contributed to the latest incident. (ILKHA)