At least 30 killed, 100 injured in two-train collision in Spain's Toledo province

Madrid, Oct 28 : At least 30 people were killed and around 100 others injured after two trains collided in Spain's Toledo province on Wednesday, triggering a massive rescue operation, according to a regional government official.

The death toll is likely to rise as emergency personnel continue searching through the wreckage of the damaged train carriages, officials said.

The collision occurred at around 8:45 am local time on the high-speed railway line connecting the Madrid region with Seville in southern Spain.

According to media reports, an Iryo passenger train, operated by a private railway company, was stationary or moving at a low speed when it was struck by an AVE high-speed train operated by state-owned railway company Renfe.

Following the impact, part of the Renfe train went off the tracks, while several carriages of the Iryo train derailed.

Both trains were carrying hundreds of passengers. Regional government spokesperson Esther Padilla said one train had 146 passengers and a baby on board, while the other was carrying 397 passengers.

Emergency services rushed to the crash site near Urda in central Spain, deploying dozens of fire engines, ambulances and police vehicles. At least three helicopters were also pressed into service to assist rescue operations.

Several passengers were evacuated by buses, while the Red Cross provided medical and other assistance to the injured and affected passengers.

A passenger travelling on the Renfe train told CNN that the train had stopped for around 20 minutes before resuming its journey shortly before the collision. Passenger Patricia Alvarez described the impact, saying some people were thrown into the air and highlighting the extensive damage inside the carriage.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he was in contact with the Transport Minister and the regional government, while emergency services were working to assist those affected.

The Castilla-La Mancha regional government also appealed to the public to donate blood as hospitals and emergency teams continued responding to the disaster.

Railway union spokesperson Rafael Escudero described the incident as unusual, telling Spanish radio station Antena 3 that train movements were monitored in real time and that drivers received information about track conditions.

The exact cause of the collision has not yet been established.

The accident comes amid a series of railway incidents in Spain this year. In January, a collision near Adamuz in the southern province of Cordoba claimed more than 40 lives, followed by a commuter train derailment near Barcelona.