At least 30 people die in Spain after collision between two trains

At least 30 people died when two high-speed trains collided in Spain this Wednesday (28), the second fatal accident in less than a year on the line that connects Madrid to the Andalusia region in the south of the country, regional authorities said.

Footage from regional broadcaster Castilla-La Mancha Television showed a derailed train with at least one carriage still on an elevated section of the line, while twisted pieces of metal, broken panels and debris could be seen scattered across the embankment below the line.

Miguel, a passenger who traveled with several colleagues in the rear carriage of one of the trains, described the moment of the accident to Rádio COPE.

"We heard a huge bang, a really huge thud that lasted 10 seconds, as if the train was about to derail. Through the window on the right side, we could see a wrecked train – I imagine it must have been the other one," he said.

The regional government of Castilla-La Mancha reported that the death toll rose from 10 to 30, after previously warning that the number could rise.

The collision occurs nine months after an accident between high-speed trains, belonging to the same operators, on the same line, which killed 46 people.

The accident, which occurred in January after a train derailed and collided with another traveling in the opposite direction near Adamuz, in the province of Córdoba, sparked a debate about the level of investment in railway maintenance in recent years.