Drone footage shows wreckage after deadly Spain train collision kills 64

At least 64 people were killed and 80 injured after two high-speed trains collided in central Spain on Wednesday (Oct 28), leaving mangled carriages scattered across the accident site. Authorities warned that the death toll could rise as rescuers struggled to reach passengers trapped inside the wreckage.

The collision occurred shortly before 9 am local time in Urda, in the Castilla-La Mancha region, around 130 kilometres south of Madrid. Drone footage from the scene showed the scale of the destruction, with carriages lying on their sides at the bottom of an embankment and one train embedded in another.

Rescue teams search for survivors

Emergency vehicles rushed to the site as helicopters hovered overhead during the search for survivors. Images from the area showed twisted metal and badly damaged coaches.

Castilla-La Mancha regional leader Emiliano Garcia-Page said more victims could be found as rescue teams had yet to reach the lower sections of the carriages.

“It has not yet been possible to reach the bottom of the carriages,” he told reporters.

Spain’s state railway operator Renfe confirmed that the main high-speed route connecting Madrid with southern Spain had been suspended following the accident involving one of its services and a train operated by private company Iryo.

Rail safety faces renewed scrutiny

The latest collision has brought renewed attention to railway safety in Spain, which suffered another deadly high-speed train crash in January. That accident, near Adamuz in southern Spain, killed 46 people and raised questions about the safety of the country’s rail network.

Wednesday’s crash also comes at a politically sensitive time for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who faced criticism following the earlier disaster.

Sanchez said he was “shocked” by the latest accident and offered “my love, solidarity and support to all the victims and their families” in a post on X. He cancelled his participation in a Madrid summit on obesity, while his Socialist party suspended campaign activities.

European leaders also expressed condolences, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saying, “Europe mourns” with the victims following the “devastating news”.

The crash occurred on the Madrid-Seville corridor, Spain’s first high-speed rail line, which opened in 1992. The route is also one of the busiest in the country.