Spain High-Speed Crash Kills 64, Injures 80 in Toledo Province

At least 64 people died and 80 others were injured on Wednesday morning when a high-speed train struck the rear of another stopped service in central Spain. The collision occurred in the province of Toledo, between the towns of Urda and Los Yébenes, according to Spanish authorities. Two cars of the impacted train derailed in the accident.

The crash involved a state-owned RENFE train and a privately operated IRYO train. Both services were traveling in the same direction from Madrid to Seville. Esther Padilla, spokesperson for the Castilla La Mancha region, stated that the RENFE train collided with the tail of the IRYO train, which had come to a halt. The cause of the initial stoppage and the subsequent impact remains under investigation.

Regional President Emiliano García-Page confirmed the rising death toll and the number of injuries as rescue teams continued to search the wreckage. He specified that 24 fatalities occurred on the RENFE train and six on the IRYO service. Spanish Health Minister Mónica García described the scene as a tragedy resulting from a high-speed impact. Emergency workers prioritized extracting survivors and bodies from the two most damaged carriages. The injured were transported to various hospitals in the Toledo area.

The accident site was a flat stretch of track surrounded by olive fields. One train car was shredded, scattering debris down a gravel slope. A military emergency brigade joined firefighters, police, and civil protection teams at the scene. Ambulances and medical helicopters shuttled patients to care facilities, while undamaged passengers were moved away on buses. The mayor of Urda, Manuel Galán, said his town hall prepared a local sports pavilion to assist with the care of injured passengers.

Passenger Ignacio Relaño, who was riding the RENFE train, told state broadcaster TVE that the vehicle slowed abruptly before the collision. He described the car leaning to one side and the sudden scattering of luggage and personal items. "We all felt the train abruptly slowing down and then the impact," Relaño said. "The car leaned to one side like it was about to tip over. I hit my nose, everything went flying, luggage, cell phones. Everything shook."

The crash is the second major rail accident in Spain this year. In January, a IRYO train derailed and struck an oncoming RENFE service in southern Spain, killing 46 people. That incident was the deadliest in the country since 2013. The January collision involved the same two operators, raising questions about the stability of the recently liberalized market. IRYO, an Italian-owned firm, began operations in Spain in 2022 after the country opened its high-speed network to private competition.

Spain has invested heavily in high-speed rail over the past three decades, laying approximately 3,900 kilometers of track for its 49 million residents. This infrastructure places the country second in the world only to China in total high-speed distance. Joan Rodríguez, a spokesperson for the train workers' union, noted that increased traffic from privatization has placed additional strain on the infrastructure. He told TVE that the liberalization of the service may not have been matched by necessary line upkeep.

Rail service between Madrid, Ciudad Real, and Andalusia has been suspended following the crash. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez canceled his schedule to focus on the response. He posted 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 their sadness and concern for the victims and their families. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also sent condolences to the affected families.

The Spanish soccer federation postponed all 24 Copa del Rey matches scheduled for Wednesday. The national election is set to take place next month, adding political context to the incident. ADIF, the rail system operator, confirmed the crash location and timing. The death toll may change as rescue operations continue in the wreckage of the two trains.