64 Dead After High-Speed Train Collision in Central Spain

At least 64 people died when a high-speed train collided with a stopped service in central Spain on Wednesday.

Authorities confirmed the crash occurred in the province of Toledo, specifically between the towns of Urda and Los Yébenes. The impact derailed two cars and scattered debris across a gravel slope surrounded by olive fields.

Spanish rail operator ADIF stated that the accident involved two trains traveling in the same direction from Madrid to Seville. A RENFE train struck the rear of an IRYO train that had halted on the line. Regional President Emiliano García-Page reported that 24 passengers died in the RENFE car and six in the IRYO car. He also said at least 80 people were injured as rescue workers continued searching the wreckage.

Esther Padilla, spokesperson for the Castilla La Mancha region, said the cause of the collision remained unknown at the time of the report. She noted that the RENFE train carried 397 passengers while the IRYO service carried 147. Rail service between Madrid, Ciudad Real, and Andalusia was suspended following the incident.

Passenger Ignacio Relaño, who was on the RENFE train, told state broadcaster TVE that the train slowed abruptly before the impact. He described the car leaning to one side and luggage flying through the aisle. Health Minister Mónica García said emergency workers focused on the two most damaged cars and transported the injured to local hospitals.

This marks the second major train accident in Spain this year. In January, a crash in southern Spain killed 46 people when an IRYO train jumped the track and hit an oncoming RENFE service. That incident was the deadliest in the country since a 2013 crash that claimed 80 lives.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez canceled his schedule to focus on the response. He wrote on X that he was dismayed by the accident and that emergency services were attending to affected passengers. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia issued a statement expressing deep sadness and concern for the families in Toledo.

Joan Rodríguez, a spokesperson for the train workers' union, told TVE that increased traffic from privatization has strained the infrastructure. He said the liberalization of high-speed rail may not have been matched by necessary line upkeep. IRYO, an Italian-owned company that began operating in Spain in 2022, stated it activated security protocols and is working with authorities.