More than 500 passengers were on board the trains when the crash occurred in the province of Toledo, south of Madrid.

The defeated Brazilian candidate claims to be the victim of a coup d’état and political persecution, recycling unsubstantiated allegations of “electoral fraud”.

The eight-year-old was in an enclosure with other children and a staff member when she was attacked.

The crash, between a moving train and another that was stopped further up the track, was caused by an "inexplicable" error, the transport minister said.