At least 10 killed in high-speed train collision in southern Spain

Spain's state-owned news agency and other local media say at least 10 people have died in a crash between two trains in central Spain.

Spain's rail system operator ADIF said the crash occurred Wednesday morning in the province of Toledo. Rail service is suspended between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia.

"Traffic on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed rail line has been suspended following a rear-end collision between two trains," Adif said in a message posted on X.

A Renfe and an Iryo train crashed just after 9 am (0800 GMT), causing two Iryo wagons to derail, a government spokesperson for the Castilla La Mancha region said, adding that the cause and number of injuries were still being determined.

Rail operator Adif said the incident occurred between the towns of Mora and Orgaz, and involved a Renfe and an Iryo high speed train travelling from Madrid to Seville.

Manuel Galan, the mayor of Urda near the central city of Toledo, said he had been asked by emergency services to prepare a sports hall to accommodate the injured.

Spanish newspaper El Pais cited witnesses describing numerous injuries and the arrival of emergency medical teams at the scene. Two of the rail cars involved reportedly left the tracks and fell down an embankment, the report added.

In January, 45 people died in southern Spain when a train jumped the track and hit an oncoming train.

(FRANCE 24 with AP, Reuters)