The death toll from the horrific train crash in Spain has risen to 64. Approximately 80 people were injured when the two high-speed trains collided in Spain, marking the second deadly accident in less than a year on the line connecting Madrid to the southern region of Andalusia.
A person familiar with the tragedy told Reuters that the Iryo train had stopped near Toledo, following an order from the railway infrastructure operator Arif due to a signal malfunction, when it collided with a Renfe train, causing cars from both trains to derail.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Renfe and Iryo did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
Jesús Pérez Martín, mayor of the town of Los Gebenes, near the site of the accident, said the situation there is “horrific.”
“I’m hearing reports of amputations and very serious injuries,” he told RTVE.
Health Minister Mónica García urged citizens, in a post on X, to donate blood.
Eduarda, a passenger on the Iryo train, told the Cadena SER radio network that the impact was so strong it threw her forward, and she initially thought the train had made an emergency stop.
She realized the severity of the accident when she saw injured people and was asked to get off the train.
After climbing down an embankment to reach a safe spot, she saw what she described as a scene of devastation, with part of the train hanging off the slope and one car engulfed in flames. Rescue workers, including a helicopter, police officers, and ambulances, arrived at the scene within about 20 minutes, he said. “I saw dead people,” he said.
Ester Pantila, spokesperson for the Castile-La Mancha region, stated that 147 people were traveling on the Iryo train and 397 on the Renfe train.
EU Ready to Offer Any Assistance
The European Union confirmed today that it is ready to offer “all possible assistance” to the Spanish authorities.
“We are ready to offer any assistance to the Spanish authorities,” said European Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho.
The official noted that it is “far too early, far too early to draw conclusions” regarding the train accident.
READ ALSO: “We could hear people screaming”: Shocking testimonies from survivors of the tragedy in Spain | AlphaNews
