The Green Post Ireland
Madrid, 29 October 2026 – The death toll from a high-speed train collision in central Spain has risen to 69, with 50 people remaining in hospital, including 15 in critical care, according to regional authorities.
Rescue teams continued searching the wreckage near Urda in Toledo province on Thursday, a day after a Renfe high-speed train struck the rear of a stationary Iryo service.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has promised a full investigation and improvements to prevent similar tragedies.
Spain Train Crash Claims 69 Lives
Castilla-La Mancha regional president Emiliano GarcÃa-Page confirmed that another body had been recovered overnight, bringing the reported death toll to 69.
Regional government spokesperson Esther Padilla said 50 injured passengers remained in hospital, with 15 receiving critical care.
What Caused the Renfe and Iryo Train Collision?
Spain’s Transport Minister Óscar Puente said the collision followed a computer malfunction that disabled a railway safety system shortly before the crash.
According to his account, the signalling failure occurred at approximately 8:30am on Wednesday, affecting a section of the Madrid-Seville high-speed railway.
The malfunction caused trains on the affected section to stop automatically.
An Iryo train remained stationary near Urda, while a Renfe service was approximately 25 kilometres behind it.
The Renfe train was subsequently authorised by the railway traffic control centre to resume its journey without speed restrictions.
It struck the stationary Iryo train at approximately 8:53am. Puente questioned why the Renfe service had been cleared to proceed while a stop signal remained active.
Investigation Examines Control Centre Instructions
Reporting by El PaÃs, based on control-room communications and preliminary information, indicates that the Renfe train was authorised to resume normal movement at approximately 8:36am.
The Iryo service reportedly remained unable to move, and its driver later informed controllers that the train was still stopped. Although the transport minister has identified the control centre’s authorisation as a central concern, the investigation has not reached a final conclusion about responsibility.
Survivors Describe Chaos Inside Trains
Passengers described being thrown from their seats as the trains collided.
Josimar Medina, a 31-year-old Peruvian tourist travelling with his girlfriend, said he had been asleep aboard the Renfe service when the impact occurred.
Another survivor, Pablo MejÃa, 42, suffered head injuries and said a last-minute seat change may have saved his life.
He described passengers falling over one another, damaged seats and luggage scattered throughout the carriage.
Spain Declares Three Days of National Mourning
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the crash site in Toledo province and pledged a thorough investigation.
He acknowledged the need to strengthen confidence in Spain’s high-speed railway system following two major fatal accidents in the same year.
The Spanish Government declared three days of national mourning beginning Thursday, October 29.
The Civil Guard established offices in Madrid, Toledo, Córdoba and Seville where relatives could provide DNA samples to assist with victim identification. Blood donation facilities were also made available in Castilla-La Mancha and Madrid.
Second Deadly High-Speed Rail Crash in 2026
The collision follows another major railway disaster in January, when 46 people died after a derailment and collision near Adamuz in Córdoba province.
Both incidents involved trains operated by state-owned Renfe and privately owned Iryo.
However, the causes of the January and October crashes are being investigated separately, and authorities have not established that they resulted from the same underlying failures.
