Follow-Up: Death Toll Keeps Rising in Spain Train Crash — Civil Protection Sources Put It at at Least 46 Dead and 179 Injured, Regional Government Confirms at Least 30

The casualty figures from the collision of two high-speed trains in Spain's Toledo province kept rising on Wednesday, October 28, with agencies still giving differing counts. When GSM first reported the crash this morning, the regional government had confirmed at least 31 dead; Spanish media later cited Civil Protection sources putting the death toll at at least 46, with at least 179 injured, while rescue work continued and the final toll could still change.

According to Spain's El Español and ABC, Civil Protection (Protección Civil) sources put the death toll at at least 46; The Times' live coverage said emergency services had earlier given a figure of 39. Regional government spokeswoman Esther Padilla said the region's confirmed official figure was at least 30 dead and that she could not confirm higher numbers. The two trains were carrying 544 people in total: 147 aboard the private operator IRYO's train (146 passengers and a baby) and 397 aboard state operator RENFE's train.

More details of the crash emerged: at 8:54 a.m. local time, at kilometre point 118 of the Madrid–Seville high-speed line, a RENFE AVE train struck the rear of an IRYO train that had stopped, knocking two of the IRYO train's cars off the track and down an embankment. The RENFE train was service 2080, which had left Madrid's Puerta de Atocha station at 8:00 a.m. bound for Seville Santa Justa, due at 10:39 a.m.; the IRYO train was service 6076. The cause remains under investigation: preliminary indications are that the AVE train rear-ended the IRYO train, and investigators are still working to establish why the IRYO train had stopped and why the following train was able to approach it.

On the response, Toledo's university hospital suspended scheduled surgery for the day to free facilities and staff for the injured; the region activated its Platecam territorial emergency plan, and a military emergency unit and a Guardia Civil major-disasters team were working at the scene. RENFE and IRYO opened family hotlines — 900 10 10 20 for RENFE and 900 001 403 for IRYO — and both operators offered free changes and cancellations to passengers affected by the suspension of services between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia, which remained in force.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on X that he was shocked by the serious train accident, was in constant contact with the transport minister, and sent his affection, solidarity and support to all the victims and their families; he cleared his diary for the day. The opposition People's Party also cancelled all campaign events for the day, with campaigning under way for a general election on November 29. It was Spain's second major train accident this year: trains of the same two operators were involved in a deadly crash on the same line in January.

Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 西班牙国营铁路公司RENFE的一列AVE高速列车行驶在高架桥上（资料图，非事故列车与现场）。照片：Pablo Nieto Abad，CC BY-SA 2.0，经Wikimedia Commons。事故现场照片为通讯社图片，本站不使用。

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