At least 64 people were killed Wednesday when a high-speed train slammed into the rear of another train in central Spain, derailing two carriages and leaving wreckage scattered across a field as emergency crews raced to rescue survivors.

The collision occurred shortly after 9:00 a.m. in Toledo province, on the high-speed rail line connecting Madrid with Seville in southwestern Spain, according to the country's rail infrastructure operator ADIF. Rail services between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia were suspended following the crash.

Spanish authorities initially reported 10 deaths, but the state-owned news agency EFE and other Spanish media later put the death toll at at least 64. Officials warned that the number of fatalities could rise as rescue workers reached passengers trapped in the wreckage.

Esther Padilla, a spokeswoman for the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, said two high-speed trains carrying hundreds of passengers were traveling in the same direction when one struck the rear of the other, which had stopped. The impact knocked two carriages off the tracks.

The cause of the collision was not immediately known.

The crash occurred on a relatively flat stretch of railway between the towns of Urda and Los Yebenes, surrounded by open fields. Images from the scene showed a carriage severely mangled, with twisted metal and other debris scattered down a gravel slope.

Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia told state broadcaster TVE that emergency crews were concentrating on recovering survivors and bodies from the two most heavily damaged carriages. Injured passengers were being transported to hospitals across the region.

"It was a high-speed impact, so we are expecting this to be a tragedy," García said.

The collision involved a train operated by state-owned Renfe and another run by private company Iryo, which is owned by Italian rail operator Trenitalia. Spanish media reported that the Renfe train struck the stationary Iryo service.

Regional authorities said 397 passengers were aboard the Renfe train and 147 were traveling on the Iryo service, bringing the total number of passengers on the two trains to 544.

Iryo said it had activated its safety protocols and was working closely with authorities following the crash.

Emergency responders, including firefighters, police and civil protection teams, were deployed to the scene. A military emergency brigade was also sent to support rescue operations.

Manuel Galan, mayor of nearby Urda, told TVE that civil protection officials had asked the town council to prepare a sports pavilion to receive injured passengers and others affected by the collision.

Emiliano García-Page, president of Castilla-La Mancha, said on X that he was traveling to the crash site as emergency operations continued.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez canceled his scheduled engagements to focus on the disaster, expressing condolences to the victims and their families.

"I am dismayed by the serious train accident in Toledo," Sánchez wrote on X. "Emergency services are working on site to attend to the affected passengers."

Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia also expressed their sorrow and said they were following developments.

"We share in the grief of the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, and we send our heartfelt support to the injured and all those affected," the royal couple said in a statement posted on X.

The disaster is the second major train accident in Spain this year, renewing concerns about safety on a railway network that has become one of the most extensive high-speed systems in the world.

In January, 45 people were killed in southern Spain when a train derailed near Adamuz in Cordoba province and collided with an oncoming train. The disaster was the country's deadliest rail accident since July 2013, when a train derailed near Santiago de Compostela, killing 80 people.

The January crash shook public confidence in Spain's rail network and prompted renewed scrutiny of railway safety. Investigators examining Wednesday's collision will seek to establish how the two trains came to collide and whether any technical or operational failures contributed to the disaster.

Spain has invested heavily in high-speed rail over the past three decades, building a network that connects major cities and serves a population of about 49 million. The country's rail union defines high-speed lines as those designed for trains traveling at 250 kph (155 mph) or faster.

Spain has developed about 3,900 kilometers (2,400 miles) of high-speed track, making it the world's second-largest network after China's, which extends roughly 45,000 kilometers (28,000 miles), according to the International Union of Railways.

The network was opened to private operators only in recent years as Spain sought to introduce competition alongside Renfe. Iryo began operating passenger services in the country in 2022.