Spain train crash kills dozens
Aerial video captured the aftermath of Wednesday’s deadly high-speed train crash in central Spain. (Spanish Civil Guard via AP)
At least 68 people were killed and several Americans are believed to have been injured Wednesday when two high-speed trains collided in central Spain, after one train stopped on the tracks.
The crash occurred in Castilla-La Mancha, where the regional government confirmed the death toll and said 58 other people were taken to hospitals for treatment. The State Department said several Americans are believed to be among those injured.
Rescue crews continued searching the wreckage for survivors and victims as witnesses described a horrific scene.
The disaster marks Spain’s second high-speed rail crash this year.
Spain’s rail infrastructure operator ADIF said the collision happened Wednesday morning in Toledo province. Both trains were carrying hundreds of passengers and were traveling in the same direction along the Madrid-to-Seville route.
Emergency responders work at the scene of a collision between two trains in Urda, Spain, on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. (Juanma Jiménez/Europa Press via AP)
A train operated by state-owned RENFE struck the rear of an IRYO train that had stopped on the tracks, sending two cars off the rails. The same companies were involved in January’s crash.
Esther Padilla, a spokesperson for the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, said the RENFE train carried 397 passengers, while the IRYO train had 147 passengers aboard.
Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente blamed the deadly collision on what he called an “inexplicable” decision by the country’s central rail control center to let a train resume service after a safety system malfunctioned.
Puente said the train’s engineers were not at fault for the crash.
He said a computer failure caused a safety system covering about 39 miles of track to stop operating at approximately 8:30 a.m.
The scene of a collision between two trains in Urda, Spain, on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. (Juanma Jiménez/Europa Press via AP)
The disruption brought trains in the area to a halt, but the central control center later authorized the RENFE train to continue without imposing speed restrictions, Puente said.
A little more than 20 minutes later, the RENFE train crashed into the stationary IRYO train.
Puente said the RENFE train should not have been allowed to proceed while a stop signal was still active. At minimum, he said, it should have been ordered to travel at a reduced speed.
Investigators have not yet determined the train’s exact speed, although Puente said it may have been traveling at roughly 124 mph.
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Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks at the command post after two high-speed trains collided between Mora and Orgaz, near Toledo, Spain, on Oct. 28, 2026. (Reuters/Violeta Santos Moura)
David Gómez, a construction worker, was nearby with his brother and another colleague when they heard the crash and rushed to help, he told the newspaper El PaÃs.
“People were trying to get out through the windows…. We cut through some fences to access the area and treated people with the first-aid kits we had brought,” he said. “As I was trying to pull a young woman out, there was a piece of a leg.”
Spanish Health Minister Mónica GarcÃa said emergency crews were concentrating on rescuing survivors and recovering bodies from the two most severely damaged train cars. The injured were being transported to hospitals throughout the area, she said.
“It was a high-speed impact, so we are expecting this to be a tragedy,” GarcÃa said.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the crash site and said his government would declare three days of national mourning.
“Today all of Spain is grieving,” Sánchez said.
Sánchez also urged stronger safety measures throughout the country’s rail network after its second high-speed rail crash of the year.
“It is unacceptable for a country like Spain to suffer two high-speed rail accidents in the same year,” he said.
Passengers wait at Santa Justa station in Seville, Spain, after a train accident near Urda, Toledo, on Oct. 28, 2026. The collision suspended service on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed line. (Europa Press via Getty Images)
Passenger Ignacio Relaño was aboard the RENFE train. He told state broadcaster TVE that the train briefly stopped on the line before moving again and then crashing into the IRYO train.
“We all felt the train abruptly slowing down and then the impact,” he said. “The car leaned to one side like it was about to tip over. I hit my nose, everything went flying, luggage, cellphones. Everything shook.”
Another passenger told Cadena Ser radio that the train suddenly braked, throwing her forward and breaking the small table in front of her. She said she saw body parts and people trapped and covered in blood.
IRYO, an Italian-owned company, said it had “activated its security protocols and is closely working with authorities.”
Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia said in a brief post on X that they were monitoring reports about the crash.
“We are deeply saddened and concerned by the train accident in Urda (Toledo),” the royal couple said. “We share in the grief of the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, and we send our heartfelt support to the injured and all those affected.”
