Passengers caught up in the train collision in Toledo have described scenes of devastation, with people trapped in wrecked carriages and others lying beneath the trains.

Jesus, who was travelling on the Renfe AVE involved in Wednesday morning’s collision with an Iryo service, told Cadena Ser: ‘I saw a young man walking with an amputated arm.’

Another passenger, Eduarda, described hearing screams of panic as people tried to escape.

Speaking to Hoy por Hoy, she said she had been travelling on the Iryo with her two cats beside her when a sudden braking movement threw her and her seat forward.

‘People started getting out. There were people crying, dead people underneath the trains – you could see them everywhere,’ she said.

‘A lot of people couldn’t get out, screams… It was horrifying.’

Eduarda said she escaped without injury but would never forget the sounds she heard.

‘The worst thing was getting out and seeing everything that had happened.’

She also described seeing a man trapped beneath a train, with only his legs visible, and other passengers with severe facial injuries.

‘I’ve seen dead people,’ she told the programme.

Eduarda said she had since been taken to a sports hall.

The collision occurred between Los Yebenes and Urda, prompting a major emergency response and the suspension of high-speed services between Madrid and Andalucia.

El Español reported at least 39 deaths and dozens of injuries, citing Castilla-La Mancha emergency services.

Renfe has opened 900 10 10 20 exclusively for those affected and victims’ relatives seeking information.