President Illa offers Catalonia's help after deadly train crash in Toledo

At least 30 people have died after two high-speed trains collided on Wednesday morning between Mora and Urda, in Toledo province, according to sources in the Castilla-La Mancha regional government.

Initial indications suggest that an AVE train may have struck an Iryo train from behind, causing two carriages of the latter to derail.

High-speed services between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia have been suspended.

Esther Padilla, spokesperson for the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, initially reported at least 10 deaths on regional television but warned that the toll could rise because the impact had been “very severe”.

Catalonia offers assistance

Catalan President Salvador Illa has suspended his public engagements for Wednesday and offered Catalonia's assistance following the deadly collision.

Illa said he was following developments closely and expressed his support for those affected, their families and the emergency crews working at the scene.

"Catalonia stands ready to help in any way necessary," he said in a message on social media.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he was "dismayed" by the "serious" accident and expressed his "affection, solidarity and support" for victims and their families.

He said emergency services were working at the scene in coordination with the administrations involved and that he was in constant contact with transport minister Óscar Puente and Castilla-La Mancha president Emiliano García-Page.

A rail union representative described the images from the scene as "devastating."

Francisco Cárdenas, head of the UGT union at Renfe in Catalonia, said information received by the union indicated that "many" people had lost their lives.

"This is absolute madness. Something here does not add up. The safety systems we have are admirable; one train cannot run into the back of another," Cárdenas said.

He added that the train driver had not yet been located and that railway workers had suffered serious injuries.

A passenger also told 'El Matí de Catalunya Ràdio' that they had been travelling on a train that was stationary when they suddenly felt an impact from the train behind.

The passenger said they had hit their head in the collision.

Previous deadly incidents

The crash comes nine months after the fatal high-speed train collision near Adamuz, in Córdoba province, on January 18, and the Rodalies accident in Gelida, Catalonia, two days later, in which a trainee driver was killed when a retaining wall collapsed onto the tracks.