Spain's high-speed train collision near Toledo kills 69 people, second fatal crash this year

Two high-speed trains collided near Urda in Toledo province on the morning of October 28, 2026, killing 69 people. A Renfe AVE service traveling from Madrid to Seville struck the rear of a stationary Iryo train that had stopped on the tracks. Several carriages of the Iryo train derailed and fell down an embankment. The crash is Spain’s second deadly high-speed rail accident of the year and the deadliest European train disaster since the 2013 Santiago de Compostela derailment that killed 80 people.

The collision occurred at approximately 8:53 a.m. local time between Mora and Orgaz, about 140 kilometers south of Madrid. The Renfe train carried 397 passengers. The Iryo train carried 147 passengers plus one infant. Regional president Emiliano García-Page confirmed the death toll at 69 after an initial higher figure was revised. More than 100 people were injured; dozens remained hospitalized days later, including some in critical condition. Former labor minister Fátima Báñez and long-jumper Julieta Gallego were among those killed.

Transport Minister Óscar Puente said a computer failure caused the Iryo train to stop, after which a human error allowed the Renfe train to continue onto the occupied track at high speed. Investigators are examining the signaling system and the sequence of communications between drivers and controllers. Rescue teams used cranes and search dogs to recover remains from the wreckage. Spain’s Civil Guard requested DNA samples from relatives to identify some victims.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declared three days of national mourning from October 29 to 31. He visited the site. The January 2026 crash near Adamuz in Córdoba province, which killed 46 people when two high-speed trains collided, remains under investigation. Together the two accidents have claimed 115 lives on Spain’s high-speed network in less than ten months.

Rail unions have criticized funding levels for maintenance and staffing. The CSIF union accused the government of seeking to place responsibility on individual controllers rather than systemic issues. Opposition parties canceled campaign events in the days after the crash. National elections are scheduled for later in November.

Spain’s high-speed network has long been presented as a model of modern rail infrastructure. The two crashes in 2026 have prompted questions about signaling reliability, training and the interaction between state-owned Renfe services and private operators such as Iryo on shared tracks. The line between Madrid and Seville is one of the busiest high-speed corridors in the country.

Emergency response involved dozens of ambulances and helicopters. Local residents described the scene as chaotic. By October 29, 52 bodies had been recovered and identification work continued. Foreign ministries reported that citizens from at least seven countries were among the passengers; one foreign national was confirmed among the dead.

The investigation will determine whether technical faults, procedural failures or both caused the sequence that placed a moving train on a blocked section. Until those findings are released, the practical effect is a temporary reduction in confidence in high-speed services and a renewed political debate over rail safety investment ahead of the election.