Urda rail crash kills at least 69, including former minister Fátima Báñez

The collision near Urda

An Iryo train was struck by a Renfe AVE high-speed train early on Wednesday, 28 October, near Urda in Toledo province. At least 69 people died and around 200 were injured. Firefighters were still recovering bodies from the wreckage on Thursday, and rescue work continued. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the Popular Party leader, had been in Barcelona that day, then returned to Madrid, where he suspended the party's pre-campaign activity. At the scene on Thursday he repeatedly said both fatal crashes happened on the same rail corridor, accompanied by Urda mayor Manuel Galán and PP Castilla-La Mancha leader Paco Núñez.

Dead (at least)69

Injured (around)200

Dead (at least)

69 people

Injured (around)

200 people

Data from the article text

Fátima Báñez

Fátima Báñez, 59, a former labour minister and president of the CEOE Foundation, was among the dead. Her death was confirmed on Thursday, 29 October, about thirty hours after the crash. Her family had waited anxiously while firefighters worked to recover her body, which delayed her identification. CEOE president Antonio Garamendi paid tribute to her in a message.

“Fátima was one of the most generous people I have known. A wise and loyal adviser and a dear friend.”

The PP opened a condolence book at its Génova headquarters on Thursday afternoon, and Feijóo signed it first. Miguel Tellado will attend the funeral Mass on Friday, 30 October, before Báñez is buried in San Juan del Puerto (Huelva), her home town, at her family's request.

Feijóo's crisis team

Feijóo has assembled a team of former officials from Fomento under earlier PP governments, including people who ran Renfe or Adif. He said on Thursday that the group had been meeting since Wednesday and that he would meet them again on Friday to reach conclusions he wants to pass on. In Urda he also urged a cool head and asked that the dead be buried first, while accusing Pedro Sánchez and transport minister Óscar Puente of making light of what happened.

“Political responsibilities are not optional, they are indispensable from an ethical and moral point of view.”

Feijóo argued that political responsibilities should not wait until an investigation ends. The party says it will respect the three days of official mourning and keep a statesmanlike opposition while bodies are still being recovered.

Parliament and the government response

The PP formally asked for Pedro Sánchez to appear in Congress to explain the accident. With the Cortes dissolved, any appearance could only take place before the Diputación Permanente. Transport minister Óscar Puente is expected to appear there in the week of 2 November 2026. Inside the PP, anger at the government is running high, and one party leader said that Puente's resignation would not be enough. Party sources expect the attack on Sánchez to start once the mourning period ends.