Two high-speed trains collide in Spain's Toledo province, at least 30 dead

What happened

Two high-speed trains collided on the morning of 28 October 2026 near Urda, in Toledo province, on the line linking Madrid with Seville and Andalusia. A Renfe AVE train struck an Iryo train that had been stopped on the track, according to Greek reports citing Spanish media. Two carriages of the Iryo train derailed, and according to NewsIT they ended up on the embankment below the line. Adif, the infrastructure manager, said circulation on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed line had been suspended. Sources disagree on the timing: El Español gives 08:54, while a regional government spokesperson placed the collision shortly after 9 am local time.

Death toll

Figures varied across the morning and differ by outlet. Regional authorities first said at least ten people had died and warned the number could rise. Later reports cited Spanish authorities confirming at least 30 deaths, while Sky News reported nearly 40, ABC 46, Naftemporiki at least 49 and El Español at least 50. Naftemporiki reported that the government expected the toll to increase. Sixteen ambulances were sent to the site, according to Deutsche Welle, and Urda mayor Manuel Galán said emergency services had asked the council to prepare a sports centre to receive passengers and the injured. These are the latest counts available, and they are still moving.

Possible causes

Government sources cited by El País point to human error as the likely cause, specifically a mistake by an Adif operator during a failure of the main signalling system. That system works automatically but switches to manual operation when it malfunctions. El País also reported that a fault in the safety system had halted several trains in the area, and that an order to restart had not freed the Iryo train. According to the same sources, investigators are examining whether an operator at the Atocha control centre wrongly told the Renfe train to keep going despite the other train on the line. El Mundo reported that the identity of the driver remained unknown, and the rail union spokesman Rafael Escudero called the incident highly unusual, noting that trains receive real-time information on line conditions.

A passenger's account

A 46-year-old passenger in the seventh carriage of the Iryo train, which had left Madrid at 07:54 for Seville, described what happened to El País. He said the train stopped at 08:39 and he assumed it was a power cut or a technical stop. He said a violent impact at around 08:51 or 08:52 threw him against the seats opposite. Several passengers had broken noses and arms, and smoke spread through the carriages. A plainclothes police officer organised the evacuation, and passengers climbed down the embankment to wait for the Civil Guard, firefighters and three helicopters. He said the last three Iryo carriages were being emptied of bodies covered with sheets, and he could not understand how no warning had reached the train in time.

Renfe AVE397

Iryo146

Renfe AVE

397 passengers

Iryo

146 passengers

Data from the article text

Political and emergency response

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he was shaken by the accident and expressed solidarity with the victims and their families, and all his engagements for the day were cancelled. Opposition People's Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo wrote on X that he was very worried and that helping the victims and supporting their families came first. The People's Party cancelled all its campaign events, according to a party spokesperson, and Feijóo had planned a campaign visit that day. The Castilla-La Mancha regional government activated the PLATECAM emergency plan at 09:15 at operational readiness level 1 for Toledo province. The Madrid regional government sent eight fire units and eight Summa 112 units, while firefighters from Toledo and Ciudad Real, civil protection volunteers and health staff also went to the site.

The Adamuz precedent

The collision follows a crash at Adamuz in Córdoba province on 18 January 2026, in which a high-speed Iryo train collided with a Renfe train travelling in the opposite direction, according to Deutsche Welle. That accident killed 46 people and injured about 150. It reignited public debate about how much Spain invests in maintaining its railways. Government sources told El País that the new accident could turn out to be worse than Adamuz.