Two high-speed trains collide in Spain's Toledo province; at least 30 dead, officials say

Two high-speed trains collided in Toledo province, central Spain, on Wednesday 28 October 2026. The crash happened just after 09:00 local time (08:00 GMT) near Urda, on the line linking Madrid with Seville and Andalusia. Rail infrastructure operator Adif placed it between the towns of Mora and Orgaz.

The Castilla-La Mancha regional government said at least 30 people were killed. It first gave a toll of at least 10 and warned it would rise. Officials said the figure could rise further. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include a figure for the number of injured.

Regional spokeswoman Esther Padilla told state broadcaster TVE that both trains were travelling from Madrid to Seville. One ran into the rear of the other while it was stopped. One train belonged to state-owned Renfe (service AVE 2080), the other to private operator Iryo. Several outlets attribute to regional authorities or emergency-service sources the account that the Renfe train struck the stationary Iryo train. Padilla said the Renfe train carried 397 passengers. She said the cause was not known.

Footage showed carriages off the track and wreckage on the embankment below an elevated section. Adif said on X that traffic on the Madrid-Andalusia line was suspended. Fire crews, three helicopters and two mobile intensive care units were deployed. Urda mayor Manuel Galán said the town was asked to prepare a sports hall for injured and affected passengers.

According to El País, unnamed government sources said the likely cause was "a human error" by an Adif operator after a malfunction in the main signalling system. Initial analyses cited by the paper say an operator at the Atocha control centre in Madrid mistakenly ordered the Renfe train to proceed while the Iryo train blocked the track. The reports do not include on-record confirmation of this account or a response from Adif or Iryo to it. Renfe has reported that service between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia was suspended, according to El País.

The Guardian quoted a passenger, Miguel, as telling COPE radio: "We heard a massive roar, a truly enormous thud that went on for 10 seconds."

The crash comes months after a deadly high-speed collision near Adamuz, Córdoba province, in January 2026, which involved trains of the same two operators.

What is disputed

• Iryo passengers: 147 according to Padilla, as cited by several outlets; 146 according to the regional government spokeswoman, as cited by DW; 146 plus one baby according to The Guardian.
• Derailed carriages: two according to Padilla; at least three according to news agency EFE, as cited by The Guardian.
• The Adamuz toll is given as 46 by some outlets and 45 by others.

What each side says

• Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on X he was "shocked" and in contact with the transport minister and the regional president.
• Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo (People's Party) wrote on X that "the priority now is to attend to the victims and support their families."
• Health Minister Mónica García called it "a high-impact accident" on RTVE Noticias.
• Railway Union spokesperson Rafael Escudero called the accident "very unusual," according to El País.

Analysis

The crash raises questions about signalling and traffic-control safeguards on Spain's high-speed network, months after the Adamuz collision. If the account given by unnamed sources to El País is confirmed by investigators, scrutiny may focus on Adif's control procedures when automated systems fail. If it is not, other causes will need examining. The death toll and casualty details remain incomplete. With a general election scheduled for next month, according to The Guardian, rail safety could become a political issue. Both the government and the opposition cancelled events, and both have so far focused publicly on the victims.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.