At least ten dead as two trains collide in central Spain
Two high-speed trains collided on Wednesday in the province of Toledo in central Spain, with authorities reporting numerous injuries and at least ten fatal casualties.
The accident, involving a Renfe and an Iryo train, took place at around 8.30am on Wednesday October 28th near Urda station in the province Toledo, south of Madrid.
According to sources from Spain’s 112 emergency services, two train carriages derailed and feel down into an embankment.
Spanish public broadcaster RTVE and other Spanish media are reporting at least ten deaths as a result of the accident.
There are also numerous people injured, though the exact number is unknown.
Service on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed line has been suspended in both directions following the incident, as confirmed by Spanish rail infrastructure manager Adif.
Colisión de dos trenes del alta velocidad en Urda (Toledo) dos vagones, han caído por un terraplén. https://t.co/RkstwdfZYU
— María (@pofpofpofpofpof) October 28, 2026
Both the Renfe AVE train and an Iryo train were travelling from Madrid to Seville.
“A high-speed train rear-ended another southbound train; they were heading towards Andalusia,” Adif stated.
One of the passengers on the AVE train involved in the accident, journalist Miguel Ángel Pérez Laguna, told Capital Radio that the impact was “extremely strong” and that the train’s fuselage was “thrown” “from one side to the other.”
Firefighters, Civil Protection personnel, three medical helicopters and two mobile ICUs have been deployed to the scene.
In January 2026, Spain suffered a severe rail crisis when two separate fatal train accidents occurred within 48 hours of each other, leading to national mourning, infrastructure investigations, and widespread labour strikes.
On January 18th, an Iryo high-speed train derailed on the Madrid-Seville high-speed line near Adamuz, Córdoba. Just 20 seconds later, an oncoming state-run Renfe high-speed train collided with the derailed carriages, causing it to derail as well.
Forty-six people were killed and 292 others were injured, making it the first fatal accident in the history of Spain’s high-speed rail network.
Two days after the Adamuz tragedy, a commuter passenger train derailed in Gelida, near Barcelona, killing the train driver and injuring 37 passengers.
Renfe train drivers were already planning a 24-hour nationwide strike on Thursday October 29th precisely over concerns that safety problems on Spain’s train network have not been resolved since January train tragedies.
More to follow.
