At least 30 people killed in Spain when two high-speed trains collide

At least 30 people were killed ‌when two high-speed trains collided in Spain on Wednesday, the second deadly accident in less than a year on the line connecting Madrid to the ​southern Andalusia region, regional authorities said.

Footage from regional Castilla-La Mancha Television showed a derailed train with at least one ⁠carriage remaining on an elevated section of track while twisted metal, broken panels and wreckage could be seen strewn across an embankment beneath the line.

Miguel, a passenger travelling with several colleagues in the rear car of one of the trains, described to COPE radio the moment of the accident.

"We heard a massive roar, a truly enormous thud that went on for 10 seconds, as if the train were about to derail. ‌Through ⁠the right-hand window, we could see a wrecked train – I imagine it must have been the other one," he said.

Emergency services work at the crash site after two high-speed trains collided, in Urda, Spain October 28, 2026, in this screengrab taken from a video. Photo from Reuters

Castilla-la Mancha regional government said the death toll had risen to 30 from 10 after earlier warning it could rise.

The ⁠collision comes nine months after an accident between high-speed trains belonging to the same operators on the same line that killed 46 people.

That crash in January, which ⁠occurred after a train derailed and smashed into an oncoming train near Adamuz, in Cordoba province, triggered a debate about the level of ⁠investment in railway maintenance in recent years.