At least 64 people have died after two high-speed trains collided near Urda in Spain’s Toledo province on Wednesday morning, triggering a major rescue operation and an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the disaster.
The collision occurred along the high-speed railway linking Madrid with Seville, when a Renfe train struck the rear of an Iryo service that had stopped on the track.
The force of the impact caused several carriages to derail, scattering wreckage across the area and leaving emergency crews facing a difficult rescue operation.
Ambulances, helicopters, firefighters, police officers and other emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene. Rescue teams searched the damaged carriages for survivors and victims while working to reach the most severely affected sections.
Authorities warned that the death toll could change as recovery efforts continued and rescuers gained access to the wreckage.
Spain’s Transport Minister Óscar Puente said an electronic communications failure had caused rail traffic in the area to stop before the collision.
Puente said the Renfe train was later authorised to continue despite a red signal. He said the decision did not follow established safety procedures and resulted in the train striking the stationary service ahead.
The circumstances surrounding the signalling and communications failure, as well as the decision to allow the Renfe train to continue, are now being investigated.
The Renfe service was operated by Spain’s state-owned railway company, while the other train belonged to private operator Iryo. Regional authorities said about 544 passengers were travelling on the two services.
Survivors described scenes of panic and destruction following the collision, with some passengers forced to break windows or find other ways to escape from the damaged carriages.
Salvador Arriza, a 62-year-old Airbus employee travelling on the Renfe train, said the impact caused seats to break loose and sent passengers flying through the carriage.
He said he was fortunate to have been sitting in a backward-facing seat, which helped reduce the force of the impact.
Arriza described the aftermath as chaotic, saying some passengers were trapped beneath seats while others struggled to escape through doors and broken windows.
Other survivors were evacuated from the scene and transported by bus towards Seville, their intended destination.
Residents living near the crash site also provided food and water to passengers and emergency workers as rescue operations continued.
Frederic Barrileia, a Philippine tourist travelling with his wife aboard the Iryo service, said the impact threw him from his seat.
The couple managed to leave the train without assistance after the carriage doors opened. Barrileia said most passengers in their carriage appeared to have suffered only minor injuries.
Castilla-La Mancha authorities said dozens of people were injured in the crash, with some taken to hospitals for treatment and others suffering more serious injuries.
Regional President Emiliano García-Page said emergency and medical resources had been mobilised, while neighbouring regions offered additional assistance to support the response.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez travelled to the area and said the government’s immediate priority was supporting the victims, their relatives and the emergency teams working at the scene.
“All of Spain is mourning,” Sánchez said, adding that authorities would continue efforts to locate survivors and establish how the disaster occurred.
He also said any negligence uncovered during the investigation would be brought to light.
Sánchez subsequently announced three days of official mourning following the collision.
The disaster comes only months after another deadly high-speed rail accident in Spain.
In January, 46 people were killed when an Iryo train derailed near Adamuz in Córdoba province and collided with an oncoming Renfe service. The crash raised concerns about railway safety and maintenance across the country.
Wednesday’s collision is also the deadliest rail disaster in Spain since 2013, when 80 people were killed after a high-speed train derailed near Santiago de Compostela.
Spain has one of Europe’s largest high-speed rail networks, but the latest disaster is expected to increase scrutiny of its signalling systems, railway infrastructure and safety procedures.
Rail services between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia were suspended following the crash as authorities examined the damaged track and began investigating the events that led to the collision.
Investigators are expected to focus on the communications failure, the signalling system and the decisions made immediately before the Renfe train struck the stationary Iryo service.
For now, rescue teams remain focused on recovering victims, assisting the injured and accounting for everyone who was travelling on the two trains as the investigation continues.
Goodness Anunobi
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