Urda train crash leaves 69 dead and over 200 injured, high-speed line blocked

Two high-speed trains collide near Urda

On Wednesday, 28 October, a Renfe AVE struck an Iryo train near Urda in the Toledo province, at kilometre point 118 of the route linking Madrid with Andalusia. Both trains had left Madrid for Seville and carried 538 people between them. Europa Press reports a provisional toll of 69 dead and more than 200 injured, with 15 of the dead counted in Andalusia. Among the victims is Fátima Báñez, president of the CEOE Foundation and a former employment and social security minister in PP governments. The 59-year-old was travelling on the Iryo train to a business event in Seville organised by the Andalusian employers' association.

Survivors described the moments after impact. José Luis Moris, a national police officer on the Iryo train, put out a fire near his seat before the situation deteriorated, according to his account to Canal Sur. He recalled the scene in these words:

“We managed to put it out, and from there the catastrophe begins.”

The sequence of events from the collision to the latest official figures is set out below.

Victims and the injured

Other victims include a 51-year-old businessman from Granada who lived in Madrid, a 32-year-old student from Córdoba who was travelling home to visit family, and a 26-year-old woman from Mallorca with family ties to Rute, in Córdoba. Castilla-La Mancha's health service reports that 110 people were initially hospitalised across six centres, and 79 have since been discharged. Of the remaining 31 patients, 13 are in intensive care across four hospitals. The Toledo hospital holds the largest group with 18 injured, seven of them in intensive care. Mancha Centro in Alcázar de San Juan has six injured, two in intensive care, and the Ciudad Real hospital has six, three of them in intensive care. One patient remains in intensive care in Albacete.

Toledo hospital18

Mancha Centro, Alcázar de San Juan6

Ciudad Real hospital6

Toledo hospital

18 people

Mancha Centro, Alcázar de San Juan

6 people

Ciudad Real hospital

6 people

Data from the article text

Rail link halted until at least mid-December

Hours after the collision, Renfe halted ticket sales on the southern corridor until December, while Adif said it could not yet specify how long the line will remain closed. La Razón reports the cut will last at least until mid-December, reaching the Constitution holiday bridge ahead of Christmas. In Córdoba, the hope is that service resumes during November. Jesús Guerrero, president of the Córdoba hospitality and tourism association Hostecor, expects a steep fall in bookings.

“What is coming is a big drop in sales.”

Guerrero said the sector is unsure whether the slump will last until Christmas, and he expects the Almudena holiday in Madrid, held between 7 and 9 November, to suffer as well. The sector is still assessing how the World Cheese Awards 2026 at the CEFC exhibition centre in Córdoba, scheduled for 12 to 15 November, will be affected. Hoteliers in Seville report a wave of cancellations since Wednesday, ahead of the holiday bridge.

Losses from the Adamuz cut set the benchmark

The Urda cut follows the Adamuz accident earlier this year, which killed 46 people and left the Seville line inactive from 19 January to 16 February. In Málaga the cut lasted more than three months. The Andalusian government estimated that the tourism sector lost between 485,000 and 500,000 euros a day, a total of 13 million. The Costa del Sol hoteliers' association Aehcos raised its loss estimate to more than 300 million and said bookings in the province fell 20% in the first months of the year. The Málaga provincial council counted 65,848 travellers who did not arrive, with losses of 109 million until March. A report on Córdoba puts the economic impact above 100 million in the city, with national overnight stays down 22.7% in the first two months, direct hotel revenue losses of 1.29 million, and hospitality billing down between 40% and 50%.

Investigation still at an early stage

The Urda investigation has only just begun, and the Adamuz accident has still not produced official causes or named responsible parties. Renfe's ticket sales block runs until December, and Adif has not given a reopening date.