At least 64 people were killed on Wednesday morning when two high-speed trains collided near Urda, in the province of Toledo in central Spain, the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha said. The crash happened on the high-speed line linking Madrid with Andalusia, and officials warned that the death toll could still rise, with some of the most seriously injured not expected to survive.
The confirmed figure moved sharply during the day, from 10 dead in the first official updates to at least 30 by late morning, then 39 in the afternoon, and at least 64 by the evening. Readers should expect the official toll to be updated again.
What happened
The collision happened at about 8:54 am local time on Wednesday, October 28, at kilometre 118 of the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed line, between Los Yebenes and Urda, about 120 kilometres south of Madrid.
Both trains were travelling in the same direction, from Madrid towards Seville. A Renfe AVE high-speed train ran into the rear of an Iryo train that had stopped on the track, according to the regional government’s spokeswoman, Esther Padilla, speaking to Spanish public broadcaster TVE. Two carriages of the Iryo train and one carriage of the AVE train fell down an embankment, according to the 112 emergency service.
Regional president Emiliano Garcia-Page said about 80 people were injured, around 50 of them seriously and 15 critically, and warned that some of the most seriously injured might not survive. The regional government earlier said everyone trapped in the carriages had been freed.
The two trains
The two services involved were both Madrid to Seville trains, a route used by commuters and tourists alike.
The Iryo service, Iryo 6076, was running ahead, from Madrid-Puerta de Atocha to Seville-Santa Justa, with 147 passengers on board. The Renfe AVE service, AVE 2080, had left Atocha at 8:00 am for Seville, where it was due at 10:39 am, with 397 passengers on board. The passenger figures were given by Padilla on TVE.
Passengers told Spanish radio that their train had stopped several times because of traffic on the line before a hard braking and then the impact. One passenger on the AVE train told El Pais that passengers had been thrown around by the impact and that the train was left tilted.
Rescue operation
Castilla-La Mancha activated its regional emergency plan at 9:15 am. Three medical helicopters and two mobile intensive care units were sent to the site, along with firefighters from nearby towns and Spain’s Military Emergencies Unit. Madrid sent 16 ambulances and emergency medical teams, and the capital’s mayor, Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida, said firefighters were also being sent to help.
The injured were taken to hospitals in the area, including Toledo, Ciudad Real and Alcazar de San Juan, which suspended non-urgent surgery to free capacity. Madrid’s transfusion centre appealed for blood donors. Spain’s Health Minister, Monica Garcia, told TVE that emergency workers were focusing on rescuing survivors and recovering bodies from the two most damaged carriages.
“It was a high-speed impact, so we are expecting this to be a tragedy,” Garcia said.
The mayor of Urda, Manuel Galan, told TVE that civil protection authorities had asked the town to prepare a sports pavilion to look after those affected. Spain’s Civil Guard sent a specialist disaster investigation team to the site.
What caused the crash
The official cause has not been confirmed. Spain’s railway infrastructure manager, Adif, said it was analysing all of its systems and the sequence of events.
Unconfirmed reports point in different directions, and neither should be treated as an established cause yet. El Pais cited government sources attributing the crash to a human error at the control centre in Madrid, while Spanish radio network Cadena SER, citing government sources, reported that the Iryo train had stopped on the track when the Renfe train was allowed to proceed despite a red signal. Transport Minister Oscar Puente said he was at the control centre trying to gather all available information. A court in nearby Orgaz has taken up the case, as courts did after earlier rail disasters.
Investigators are expected to examine signalling systems, track conditions, control-centre decisions and operating procedures. Until their findings are published, any single explanation remains unverified.
Travel disruption
Adif suspended all high-speed rail services between Madrid and Andalusia after the crash, with no date given for restarting. The corridor normally carries 115 to 130 long-distance trains a day, so the suspension affects a large number of passengers.
Renfe and Iryo are refunding tickets in full. Passengers who were due to travel on the Madrid-Andalusia line should check with their operator before travelling, and should not travel to the station expecting a normal service. Family helplines published in Spanish media are Renfe on 900 10 10 20 and Iryo on 900 001 403.
The disruption spread beyond rail travel. Spain’s football federation postponed Wednesday’s 24 Copa del Rey first-round matches as a show of respect and solidarity with the victims, Reuters reported, adding that new dates would be announced. The postponement also reflected the travel disruption, with services between Madrid and Andalusia suspended.
Reaction in Spain and Europe
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he was shocked by the crash and cancelled his schedule. Writing on X, he said he remained in constant contact with Transport Minister Oscar Puente and with Castilla-La Mancha president Emiliano Garcia-Page.
“Shocked by the serious train accident in Toledo. My affection, solidarity, and support to all the victims and their families,” Sanchez wrote.
The King and Queen said they were moved and worried by the news. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe mourned with Spain, and French President Emmanuel Macron expressed solidarity with the victims, their families, the injured and rescue workers. Political parties across Spain cancelled scheduled activities on Wednesday, and most parties suspended campaigning ahead of Spain’s general election on November 29. The identities and nationalities of the victims had not been made public by midday, although the Chinese Embassy in Spain confirmed that four Chinese nationals were aboard the trains, with at least one sustaining a minor injury.
Why this matters
This is the second fatal accident in less than a year on the same Madrid-Andalusia high-speed corridor, and it will intensify scrutiny of how Spain runs one of Europe’s busiest high-speed networks.
In January, a crash near Adamuz, in Cordoba province, killed 46 people, when an Iryo train came off the track and was hit by a Renfe train. Its cause is still under investigation. That accident had already triggered a debate about investment in railway maintenance. A second disaster on the same corridor, with a possible signalling or control-centre failure now under investigation, raises harder questions about safety systems, staffing and oversight, not just about track maintenance.
Spain’s deadliest rail accident this century remains the 2013 derailment of an Alvia train at Angrois, near Santiago de Compostela, which killed 80 people. The Toledo crash is already among the country’s worst rail disasters of recent years, and its final toll is not yet known.
Timeline
- 8:00 am, October 28: Renfe AVE 2080 leaves Madrid-Atocha for Seville, carrying 397 passengers.
- About 8:54 am, October 28: The AVE train strikes the rear of the stationary Iryo 6076 train near Urda, Toledo province, at kilometre 118 of the Madrid-Andalusia line. Carriages derail and fall down an embankment.
- 9:15 am, October 28: Castilla-La Mancha activates its regional emergency plan; helicopters, ambulances, firefighters and the Military Emergencies Unit are deployed.
- Late morning, October 28: The regional government confirms at least 30 deaths, up from an early figure of 10, and warns the toll could rise.
- Afternoon, October 28: The confirmed toll rises to 39, with officials warning it will surely rise further.
- Evening, October 28: The regional government confirms at least 64 deaths, with about 80 injured, around 50 seriously and 15 critically.
- Evening, October 28: High-speed services between Madrid and Andalusia remain suspended, and the Copa del Rey first-round matches scheduled for Wednesday are postponed.
What happens next
Rescue and recovery work at the site will continue until every carriage has been fully searched, and the official death toll is likely to be revised again, given the number of critically injured. Hospitals will update the condition of the injured, and the regional government is expected to confirm the identities and nationalities of the victims in due course.
Adif’s investigation, together with the court inquiry in Orgaz, will examine the signalling and control-centre record to establish why a high-speed train was able to strike a stationary train on the same track. Rail services between Madrid and Andalusia will remain suspended until the line is declared safe and the investigation allows it to reopen, and operators will continue to refund tickets in full.
Frequently asked questions
How many people died in the Spain train crash?
The regional government of Castilla-La Mancha had confirmed at least 64 deaths by the evening of October 28. The figure rose during the day from 10 in the first updates to at least 30 by late morning and 39 in the afternoon. Officials warned the toll could rise further, with about 80 injured, around 50 seriously and 15 critically.
Where did the Spain train crash happen?
The crash happened near Urda, in Toledo province, about 120 kilometres south of Madrid, at kilometre 118 of the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed line, between Los Yebenes and Urda.
Which trains were involved in the Toledo crash?
A Renfe AVE train, service AVE 2080 from Madrid to Seville with 397 passengers, struck the rear of an Iryo train, service Iryo 6076 from Madrid to Seville with 147 passengers, which had stopped on the track. Both trains were travelling in the same direction.
What caused the Toledo train crash?
The cause has not been officially confirmed. Adif is analysing its systems and the sequence of events. Unconfirmed reports cited by Spanish media point to a possible human error at the Madrid control centre or a signalling failure, but investigators have not yet published their findings.
Are trains running between Madrid and Andalusia?
No. High-speed services between Madrid and Andalusia were suspended after the crash, with no restart date announced. Renfe and Iryo are refunding tickets in full, and passengers should check with their operator before travelling.
Is this the first fatal train crash on this line this year?
No. In January, a crash near Adamuz, in Cordoba province, on the same corridor killed 46 people, when an Iryo train derailed and was hit by a Renfe train. Its cause is still under investigation.
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