Renfe and Iryo trains collide near Urda in Spain, killing at least 68

How the collision happened

Two high-speed trains collided on the morning of Wednesday, 28 October 2026, near Urda in Toledo province, about 130 kilometres south of Madrid. A Renfe train, run by the state company, ran into a stationary train operated by the private firm Iryo, and several carriages fell down an embankment. Spiegel placed the impact shortly before 9:00, while newsORF put it shortly after 9:00. The two trains carried more than 540 passengers according to Spiegel and around 550 according to newsORF, all travelling from Madrid towards Andalusia.

Death toll and rescue

The Castilla-La Mancha regional government confirmed 68 deaths by the afternoon of 28 October, and regional president Emiliano García-Page warned at the scene that the toll could still rise. Earlier that day Spiegel had reported at least 64 dead. García-Page said around 80 people were injured, and rescuers reported 58 taken to hospital, 15 of them seriously hurt, while N-tv cited official figures of 100 injured. Crews worked through the night under floodlights, using three cranes to lift two badly damaged carriages and check for more victims. Guardia Civil spokesperson Mercedes Martín said officers would stay through the night as DNA samples were taken in Madrid, Toledo, Córdoba and Seville.

Sequence of the day

The day unfolded in three stages: the collision in the morning, the confirmation of 68 deaths in the afternoon, and a night search that continued into 29 October.

Sánchez's three days of national mourning run until Saturday, 31 October. Spain's federation of municipalities and provinces (FEMP) organised a minute of silence in town halls across the country, which thousands joined on 28 October.

Investigation and political reaction

Transport Minister Óscar Puente described the cause as an unexplained and wrong decision by the rail control centre in Madrid. He said the automatic train protection system had not been working after a computer failure, yet one of the trains was still given a green light to continue. The investigating authority, AITAT, said it was too early for hypotheses, and its chair Gonzalo Julián Guillén Espejo-Saavedra said three investigators had gone to the scene. Pedro Sánchez promised full clarification, declared three days of national mourning and said any negligence would come to light. The conservative and far-right opposition blamed his government, and Vox leader Santiago Abascal accused it of criminal conduct one month before an early parliamentary election. It was the second fatal rail crash in Spain within a year, after 46 people died and 152 were injured at Adamuz in Córdoba province in January. According to N-tv, the government suspects human error, though an investigation must still establish whether that holds.

Far-right protest in Madrid

Far-right groups held a rally outside the Transport Ministry in Madrid, demanding accountability for the crash. Estimates of the crowd vary: N-tv, Spiegel and TVE put it at about 1,500, while Expresso wrote more than a thousand. The Falange, Revuelta and the Solidaridad union, which is linked to Vox, backed the call on social media. Participants chanted fascist slogans and attacked the government, migrants, journalists and the Popular Party, and flags included Franco-era symbols. Some protesters tried to break the police cordon and reportedly threw flares and objects, after which police used tear gas. The protest lasted about two hours, according to Expresso.