At least 64 people were killed when a high-speed train crashed into another train in front of it on the same track near Urda, south of Toledo, in a Spain train crash, the regional government said, according to the BBC.
At least 80 people are known to be injured, and about fifty of them are believed to be in serious condition, the BBC reported. Both trains, one operated by Renfe and one by Iryo, were travelling in the same direction, from Madrid to Seville.
It is the second deadly disaster on the Madrid–Seville high-speed line after the Adamuz crash outside Córdoba, in which 46 people died. It comes a month before the 29 November general election and has suspended most campaigning, though not that of the far-right Vox party.
What happened in the Urda train crash?
Drone footage analysed by the BBC Visual Journalism team shows that part of the Renfe train fell off the tracks. Carriages of the Iryo train also came off the rails.
A picture examined by BBC Verify appears to show a long section of railway track piercing one of the trains. The rail seems to have passed through a carriage and is visible emerging from the roof, protruding roughly ten metres beyond the train.
Two verified videos, filmed from opposite sides of the tracks, confirm that the bent rail passed through a carriage bearing the logo of Renfe AVE, the high-speed service of Spain's national rail company, according to the BBC.
A BBC reporter about 200 metres from the site said one carriage was lying on its side. Helicopters flew over the crash site all morning, and people waiting for news of relatives gathered nearby as a large emergency response continued.
Many of the injured are being treated in nearby hospitals, while others are being taken to Madrid, the BBC reported.
What caused the Toledo high-speed train crash?
There has been no confirmation of what caused the accident, the BBC reported.
Roberto Gómez, a Spanish journalist who was on board one of the trains, said he had been asleep when the train stopped and passengers heard an announcement that there was congestion on the tracks. The train then began to move again, he said, and the crash followed.
"The impact was terrible," Gómez told Onda Cero radio. "You can imagine, the carriage is completely destroyed. All the suitcases are all over the wrecked carriage."
Gómez said he suffered only minor injuries. He described another passenger falling on top of him and suffering a deep gash to the head. He said he and others helped people who had taken severe blows to the chest and ribs.
Several minutes later, he and other passengers managed to climb out through a window, he said.
Authorities have not explained why the train restarted after the congestion announcement or how it came to strike the train ahead of it on the same track.
Spain train crash death toll is the worst since 2013
The toll has already risen to 64 and could change, with about fifty people seriously injured. According to the BBC, Spain has not seen such a devastating rail disaster since July 2013, when 80 people died.
The crash comes as Spain was still reeling from the Adamuz disaster outside Córdoba. The BBC reported that Adamuz happened on the same high-speed line, much further south.
Vox keeps campaigning as PP and PSOE suspend election events
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is travelling to Urda. The government said on X that he will "support the work of the emergency teams and convey his support to those affected and their families".
"The priority is to attend to the victims and ensure the maximum coordination between administrations," the government added.
Sánchez's Socialist PSOE cancelled its campaign events for the day, and the prime minister offered his affection, solidarity and support to everyone affected, the BBC reported.
Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the conservative People's Party and seen as the front-runner in the election, said "the priority now is to attend to the victims". The PP has suspended all campaign activity.
Vox leader Santiago Abascal has not stopped campaigning. He went on television to condemn the "deterioration of infrastructure and institutions in Spain which frankly is totally unbearable" and blamed the current government, the BBC reported. He also spoke of neglect, ruin and betrayal suffered by the Spanish people.
Vox is seen as a possible coalition partner for Feijóo's conservatives after the 29 November vote. Abascal also refused to halt campaigning after the Adamuz disaster, ahead of a regional election in January.
The PP and PSOE have not said how long they will keep their campaigns on hold, with the election less than five weeks away.