Two high-speed trains collide near Toledo, killing at least 68 people in Spain

What happened

Two high-speed trains collided at about 08:54 on Wednesday, 28 October, between the municipalities of Los Yébenes and Urda in Toledo province, Castilla-La Mancha. One train was a Renfe AVE and the other an Iryo service, and the line links Madrid with Seville. Regional government sources put the death toll at 68, up from 31 confirmed deaths reported earlier that day. Of the dead, 40 were on the Iryo train and 24 on the AVE, and the trains carried 397 people on the Renfe service and 146 passengers plus an infant on the Iryo service, 544 people in all.

Injuries and the search for survivors

Rescue teams were still searching the wreckage on Wednesday, and hundreds of ambulances, hearses and helicopters were parked beside one of the trains. Regional president Emiliano García-Page estimated about 80 injured, 50 of them seriously, while at least 55 people were being treated in hospitals across the region. Spain's civil protection gave a higher injury figure of 179. Several carriages remained on an elevated section of track, at least three others fell down the embankment, and traffic on nearby roads was cut so rescuers and ambulances could reach the site.

Iryo train40

Renfe AVE train24

Iryo train

40 deaths

Renfe AVE train

24 deaths

Data from the article text

Passengers who had been moved from the trains walked along a road beside the crash site, some bleeding or with bandaged wounds, while others dragged their suitcases. Volunteers handed them water. One passenger told COPE radio he heard a loud roar that lasted several seconds, and survivors described people trying to break windows to escape the deformed carriages. Reports circulating on Wednesday said former labour minister Fátima Báñez had been travelling in one of the derailed carriages and had not yet been located. That claim was not confirmed in the coverage reviewed.

How the collision happened

A person briefed on the conditions of the accident told Reuters that the Iryo train had come to a halt near Toledo because of a signalling fault. According to El País, as cited in the coverage, the Iryo train was stationary on the line when the Renfe AVE struck it from behind. The impact derailed the last three carriages of the Iryo train and the first two of the Renfe train, which fell down the slope beside the track. No official cause had been published by the time of the latest reports, and officials said it was too early to say what had gone wrong.

Spanish government response

Prime minister Pedro Sánchez said all of Spain was in mourning and announced three days of national mourning from 29 to 31 October. He said the government would work with independent railway accident investigators and the judicial authorities to establish what happened and why. Sánchez said any negligence would come to light and that any failure in the safety system would be dealt with strictly. He also pointed to the January accident at Adamuz in Andalusia, which killed 46 people, and said two deadly high-speed rail accidents in one year were unacceptable for a country like Spain. King Felipe described the disaster as a horrific tragedy.

European and foreign reactions

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa expressed sympathy on X, and von der Leyen said Europe was mourning with Spain. A Commission spokesperson, Paula Pinho, said the EU was ready to offer every possible help to Spanish authorities and that it was far too early to draw conclusions about the causes. Emmanuel Macron expressed French solidarity with the Spanish people, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he was deeply shaken and wished the injured a swift recovery. British prime minister Andy Burnham said he had spoken to Sánchez and offered support, and Portuguese prime minister Luís Montenegro said Portugal was available for anything that might be needed. The three-day national mourning runs from 29 to 31 October.