High-Speed Train Collision in Spain Leaves 64 Dead; Two of 10 South Koreans Aboard Sustain Minor Injuries

▲ Train Collision in Spain

A high-speed train collision in Spain has resulted in 64 deaths so far.

It was confirmed that 10 South Koreans were aboard the trains, two of whom sustained minor injuries.

Around 9:00 a.m. on the 28th local time, a train operated by the private railway company Iryo and a train operated by the state-owned railway company Renfe AVE collided near Urda in the Toledo region, located about 120 kilometers south of the Spanish capital of Madrid.

Both trains had departed from Madrid and were heading toward Seville in Andalusia.

Emiliano Garcia-Page, President of the Autonomous Community of Castilla-La Mancha, stated, "While we are speaking of 64 [fatalities], that number will certainly rise."

Spanish media had previously reported 50 dead and 179 injured, but the death toll continues to climb.

The South Korean Embassy in Spain is providing consular assistance to the 10 South Koreans who were on board while continuously checking for any additional casualties.

Immediately after the incident, reports via the embassy and the Consular Safety Call Center initially indicated that six South Koreans were injured. The number later rose to nine, but after a consular official who arrived at the scene conducted in-person checks with all 10 South Korean passengers one by one, it was confirmed that two were injured and the remaining eight were uninjured.

Ester Padilla, spokesperson for the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha, stated that a total of 544 people were on board—397 on the Renfe train and 147 on the Iryo train.

Speaking to state broadcaster TVE, Padilla said the accident occurred between two high-speed trains heading from Madrid to Seville, with one of them striking the rear of the other, causing the trains to derail.

While the exact cause of the accident has not yet been reported, foreign media outlets citing sources reported that human error may have been involved, as signals regarding the leading Iryo train were reportedly not transmitted to the trailing Renfe AVE train.

This indicates that one train appears to have crashed into a stationary train.

This accident occurred nine months after a deadly train collision in January near Adamuz in Cordoba province, Andalusia, which claimed 46 lives.

Spain is a country with a high-speed rail network totaling 3,900 kilometers in length.

It is the largest in Europe and the second largest in the world after China.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)

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