Spanish high-speed train collision near Toledo kills at least 64, about 80 injured

What happened

On 28 October 2026, shortly before 9 a.m. local time (08:54 according to press reports), a Renfe AVE high-speed train collided with an Iryo train that had stopped on the Madrid to Andalusia line. The crash happened near kilometre 118, between the municipalities of Mora, Orgaz and Urda in Toledo province. Accounts differ on how many carriages left the track: some reports say two Iryo carriages and one AVE carriage, others say three Iryo carriages and one AVE carriage, and all say they ran down an embankment. The Iryo train had left Madrid's Atocha station at 07:54, while the AVE had departed at 08:00 for Seville. Rail traffic between Madrid and southern Andalusia was suspended.

Death toll and injuries

Regional authorities in Castilla-La Mancha gave the latest toll as 64 dead, and officials warned that the number could still change as the count continues. Earlier figures were lower: an initial count of 10, then 31 in a later update, and 30 in an early report. At least 55 people were admitted to hospitals in Castilla-La Mancha and Madrid. Around 80 people were injured, of whom 50 were seriously hurt according to the figures cited, and one report describes 15 of the injured as very seriously hurt. Castilla-La Mancha president Emiliano García-Page put the number of injured at about 80. The crash is the third deadliest rail accident in Spain since the 1970s and the worst since 2013, when 78 people died in a derailment near A Coruña in northwest Spain.

Initial count10

Later count31

Latest count64

Initial count

10 deaths

Later count

31 deaths

Latest count

64 deaths

Data from the article text

Passengers and the trains

Regional government figures put the total on board at 544, including one infant, with 146 or 147 people on the Iryo train and 397 on the Renfe train, depending on the report. More than 540 passengers were aboard the two trains according to other accounts. Former labour minister Fátima Báñez was reported to have been on one of the trains, but as of the latest reports she had not yet been located. Passenger Fernando Seco told RTVE that the AVE had stopped for a few minutes shortly before the impact, which he was told was due to heavy traffic in the area, and that he saw no sign of a fault beforehand. Passengers in the rear carriages got out and climbed down the embankment once they saw the damage to the front carriages. Another passenger, Miguel, told COPE that the impact sounded like a roar lasting about 10 seconds.

Cause under investigation

Central government sources attributed the crash to human error. Citing El País, Greek-language reports say the initial hypothesis is a human error by an Adif operator during a failure of the main signalling system. Reuters, citing a person briefed on the conditions, reported that the Iryo train had stopped near Toledo because of a signalling fault, on the instruction of Adif. Early accounts also say a safety system called LZB malfunctioned that morning, halting about eight trains, after which the control centre switched to manual operation and told trains to continue. The Iryo train did not restart for reasons that remain unclear, and a controller at Atocha reportedly ordered the AVE behind it to move. The crash came nine months after a deadly rail accident in Andalusia at Adamuz. Transport Minister Óscar Puente was due to hold a press conference.

Reactions and aid

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was expected to visit the site, and government sources said he expressed solidarity with the victims and their families. Support centres for relatives were set up at Atocha station in Madrid and in Seville, and an information line was opened on 900 10 10 20. The Spanish government and political parties cancelled their scheduled activities for the day. The Spanish Football Federation postponed all first-round Copa del Rey matches scheduled for that day as a sign of respect, and said in a statement:

“The great Spanish football family remains united in mourning for this tragedy, offering its support to the authorities to help the victims of this catastrophic accident.”

The European Union said it stood ready to assist Spain.