At Least 10 Killed in High-Speed Train Collision in Central Spain

At least 10 people were killed Wednesday morning in a high-speed train collision in central Spain, marking one of the country's worst rail disasters in recent years. The total number of casualties remains unconfirmed and is expected to rise.

According to reports from Spain, the collision occurred between two high-speed trains traveling in the same direction in the Toledo province. One train struck the rear of the other, causing two carriages to derail. The accident has brought rail traffic between Madrid, Ciudad Real, and Andalusia to a complete halt.

Manuel Galan, mayor of the nearby town of Ocaña, told state broadcaster TVE that passengers sustained injuries and that civil protection authorities requested the preparation of a sports hall to triage and treat victims. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed profound shock over the severe rail accident in Toledo, offering his condolences and support to the victims and their families.

This disaster comes just 10 months after a deadly train derailment in southern Spain last January that claimed 45 lives when a train veered off the rails and collided with an oncoming train. That accident was Spain's deadliest since a 2013 crash that killed 80 people, deeply shaking a nation that has invested heavily in high-speed rail networks, boasting the largest network in Europe and the second largest in the world after China.