A deadly rail collision in central Spain has halted one of the country's key high-speed routes. At least 64 people were killed on Wednesday when one high-speed train slammed into the rear of another on the Madrid-Seville line in the province of Toledo, officials said, and the BBC reports that the accident now marks Spain's worst train disaster since 80 people were killed in a 2013 derailment. The number of fatalities was initially reported as 10, but officials had warned that the death toll would rise, reports the Guardian. Service between Madrid and Andalusía has been shut down. State broadcaster TVE reported that the impact knocked at least two train cars off the tracks; regional TV footage showed mangled cars and debris scattered along an embankment.
"We heard a massive roar, a truly enormous thud that went on for 10 seconds, as if the train were about to derail," a passenger on one of the trains tells Reuters of the moment of impact. Authorities set up a sports hall in the town of Urda to receive the injured. The crash comes weeks before a national election, prompting Spain's main parties to pause campaigning. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he was in constant contact with regional officials and transport authorities, per the Guardian. The AP notes that it's Spain's second major train accident this year, after one train leaped off the track in January and hit another oncoming train, killing nearly 50.
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