Madrid, October 28: At least 64 people were killed after two high-speed trains collided in Spain’s Toledo province on Wednesday, Reuters reported, citing Spanish authorities, as rescue workers continued searching the wreckage for victims.
The collision disrupted rail services between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia. The accident involved two trains travelling in the same direction, with one hitting the rear of the other and causing two carriages to derail, local media reported.
Several carriages were left mangled in the crash, with at least three plunging down an embankment. Twisted metal, broken panels and debris were scattered across the site, while several carriages of one train remained on an elevated section of track.
Emergency services deployed hundreds of ambulances, funeral service vehicles and helicopters to the area as rescue operations continued.
Passengers evacuated from the trains were seen walking along a nearby road, some covered in blood or with bandaged injuries, while others carried their luggage. Volunteers from neighbouring towns distributed water to those affected, Spanish newspaper ABC reported.
Miguel, a passenger travelling with colleagues in the rear carriage of one of the trains, described the impact to Spanish radio station COPE.
“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,” he said, according to Reuters.
The crash is the second deadly railway accident in Spain this year, the report said.
