At least 68 dead after two high-speed trains collide in Spain

ASM, Philippine Canadian Inquirer
October 29, 2026

Photo courtesy: Financial Times

At least 68 people have been killed after two high-speed passenger trains collided in central Spain on Wednesday, October 28, in one of the country’s deadliest railway disasters in recent years.

The collision occurred shortly before 9 a.m. near Urda, in Toledo province, along the high-speed railway connecting Madrid and Seville.

Authorities said a train operated by Spain’s state-owned Renfe struck the rear of another train operated by private company Iryo, which had stopped on the tracks.

The impact derailed several carriages, sending some down an embankment and leaving emergency crews searching through the wreckage for survivors.

Castilla-La Mancha regional president Emiliano García-Page confirmed that the death toll had reached 68, warning that the number could rise as rescue teams continued examining the damaged carriages.

Of those killed, 44 were aboard the Iryo train and 24 were travelling on the Renfe service, according to regional authorities.

More than 500 passengers were travelling on the two trains when the accident occurred. Officials reported numerous injuries, including passengers requiring urgent hospital treatment.

Emergency responders, firefighters, medical personnel, and specialist rescue teams were deployed to the scene. Several hospitals in the region were placed on alert to accommodate the injured.

Images from the crash site showed severely damaged carriages, twisted metal, and debris scattered along the railway and down an embankment.

Authorities temporarily suspended high-speed rail services between Madrid and parts of southern Spain as emergency operations and investigations continued.

Investigation underway

Spanish authorities are investigating what caused the collision, including why one train had stopped and how another was able to approach it on the same track.

Transport Minister Óscar Puente described the circumstances as difficult to explain.

Investigators are examining the railway’s signalling and traffic control systems, although no final cause has been established.

The crash has renewed concerns about railway safety in Spain, which operates one of the world’s largest high-speed rail networks.

It comes just nine months after another deadly railway collision near Adamuz, in Córdoba province, killed 46 people in January 2026.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed his shock over the latest disaster and offered support to victims and their families.

As rescue operations continued, authorities warned that the full extent of the tragedy might not be known until all affected carriages had been searched.