Investigators are examining why a Renfe high-speed train was allowed to proceed after a safety-system failure stopped traffic on the Madrid-Seville line.
URDA, Spain — The death toll from a collision between two high-speed passenger trains in central Spain rose to at least 69 Thursday as rescue crews continued searching damaged rail cars and investigators focused on a decision that allowed one train to move while another remained stopped ahead.
The crash occurred Wednesday morning near Urda in Toledo province when a Renfe train traveling toward Seville struck the rear of an Iryo train that had stopped on the same high-speed line. More than 500 passengers were aboard the two trains. Authorities have not issued a final determination of responsibility, but Transport Minister Óscar Puente has said investigators are examining the failure of a railway safety system and the subsequent authorization for the Renfe train to resume its journey.
Officials said the line’s LZB safety and signaling system failed at about 8:30 a.m., causing trains along a section of the Madrid-Andalusia route to stop. Rail traffic controllers then began handling movements manually. According to the government’s account, the Renfe train was later authorized to continue at normal speed even though the Iryo train remained stopped farther along the route. The trains collided at about 8:53 a.m. Puente has described the authorization as erroneous and said investigators must establish how it was issued.
The collision sent several carriages off the tracks and down an embankment in an area surrounded by fields. Emergency crews used heavy equipment as they searched badly damaged cars for victims. Reuters reported Thursday that 57 injured people remained hospitalized. Authorities had earlier reported more than 100 injuries, with the numbers changing as patients were treated, transferred and released.
Adif, Spain’s rail infrastructure operator, said the collision happened near kilometer marker 118 between Mora, Orgaz and Urda. Service on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed line remained interrupted Thursday. Adif said trains continued operating on the Madrid-Toledo and Málaga-Seville sections, while assistance points for people affected by the crash were established at major stations in Madrid, Seville, Córdoba and Málaga.
Castilla-La Mancha’s regional government activated its territorial emergency plan shortly after the collision and later raised the response level as the scale of the disaster became clear. Firefighters, police, Civil Guard officers, medical teams, civil protection workers and Spain’s Military Emergency Unit were deployed. Hundreds of military and police personnel took part in the operation as crews searched the wreckage and secured the crash site.
The disaster is Spain’s second deadly high-speed rail crash this year. In January, 46 people were killed in a collision near Adamuz in Córdoba province involving trains operated by the same two companies. Wednesday’s crash is the country’s deadliest rail accident since 2013, when 80 people died after a passenger train derailed near Santiago de Compostela.
The two crashes have renewed scrutiny of safety on Spain’s extensive high-speed rail system. Railway unions have raised concerns about staffing, maintenance and failures involving older safety equipment, while government officials have cautioned against reaching conclusions before investigators complete their work. Authorities are examining communications between the control center and train crews as well as technical data from the signaling system and the trains.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pledged a full investigation and support for victims and their families. Spain declared three days of national mourning. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia visited people affected by the disaster, while relatives of passengers gathered at assistance centers seeking information about missing family members.
A judicial investigation and a separate technical inquiry were underway Thursday as authorities continued identifying victims and examining the wreckage. Officials have said the inquiries will seek to determine why the safety system failed, how rail traffic was managed afterward and why the Renfe train was cleared to proceed toward the stopped Iryo service.
Author note: Last updated October 29, 2026.