PM Shehbaz offers condolences after deadly Spain train collision

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed condolences to Spain on Wednesday after two high-speed trains collided in the central Spanish province of Toledo, killing at least 64 people, according to Spanish media reports. The Spain train collision happened near Urda station at about 8:54 a.m. local time (0754 GMT), Anadolu Agency reported.

How many people died in the Spain train collision?

Regional president Emiliano Garcia-Page said emergency workers located 34 bodies aboard the Iryo train, with six more confirmed dead in a carriage but not yet recovered. A further 24 fatalities were recorded aboard the AVE train. He warned the toll could rise, according to El Pais, and about 80 people were injured.

Spanish public broadcaster RTVE and other media outlets also reported at least 64 deaths. Garcia-Page, who leads the Castile-La Mancha region, confirmed that approximately 55 of the injured were receiving treatment at hospitals across the region.

"We are talking about an enormous number. I am deeply sorry for the families and for everyone affected," Garcia-Page said, describing the collision as an "unmitigated tragedy."

What caused the Spain train collision?

A Renfe AVE train struck the rear of an Iryo train that had stopped and then resumed moving, according to passengers. Two carriages derailed and fell down an embankment, emergency services said. Rail infrastructure operator Adif said both trains were serving the Madrid-Seville route.

The cause remains under investigation, although initial reports pointed to human error. Garcia-Page declined to speculate, saying initial assessments appeared "coherent" but that it was not his place to comment. He said the immediate priority was responding to the emergency and assisting victims and their families.

"There were dead people underneath the trains. So many people couldn't get out, screams ... it was horrifying," Eduarda, a passenger on the Iryo train, told Spanish radio station Cadena SER.

How did Spain respond to the train collision?

Emergency crews, including firefighters and medical helicopters, were deployed to the scene. The Castilla-La Mancha regional government activated its emergency response plan, and services linking Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia were suspended.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez canceled his scheduled engagements to monitor the emergency and was reportedly traveling to the accident site. All political parties except the far-right Vox party canceled their campaign events scheduled for Wednesday. Vox leader Santiago Abascal blamed Sanchez for the accident, accusing his government of having "destroyed absolutely everything."

What did Shehbaz Sharif and other leaders say about the Spain train collision?

"Profoundly grieved by the devastating train collision in Toledo, Spain. My deepest condolences to Prime Minister Sanchez Castejon, the people of Spain and, above all, the families who have lost their loved ones. We pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. Pakistan stands with Spain in its hour of sorrow," Sharif wrote in a post on X.

European leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, also offered condolences.

How does it compare with earlier Spanish rail disasters?

The collision came nine months after the Adamuz rail disaster in southern Spain, which killed 46 people and injured more than 120. The latest crash was Spain's deadliest train accident since the 2013 derailment near Santiago de Compostela, which killed 80 people.