Two high-speed trains collide in central Spain: at least 10 dead, carriages fall down embankment
A Renfe AVE train ran into the back of an Iryo train near Urda station in Toledo province on Wednesday morning. The Castilla-La Mancha regional government has officially confirmed at least 10 dead and says the toll is very likely to rise; emergency services report a high number of injured. The two trains were carrying 540 passengers.
Updated 28 Oct 2026, 11:45 (Bucharest time): the death toll has been officially confirmed by the Castilla-La Mancha regional government; added details on the emergency response, the possible cause under consideration and reactions.
At least 10 people have been killed and many more injured after two high-speed passenger trains collided on Wednesday morning, 28 October, near the station of Urda, in the province of Toledo in central Spain. The toll was officially confirmed by the spokesperson of the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, Esther Padilla, who said the figure will very likely rise as emergency crews and firefighters keep working at the scene. The number is still provisional, and Spanish government sources quoted by El País fear there may be more victims.
Spain's rail infrastructure manager Adif said the crash happened at kilometre point 118 of the Madrid–Andalusia high-speed line, between Mora/Orgaz and Urda. "A high-speed train has hit another from behind, heading south; they were going to Andalusia," Adif said. Both trains were running on the Madrid–Seville route: Renfe's AVE train 2080 struck Iryo train 6076 as it entered Urda station, derailing the last two carriages of the Iryo train. According to the regional emergency service 112 of Castilla-La Mancha, the collision happened at 8:54 local time (9:54 in Romania), and three carriages overturned and fell down an embankment.
The AVE was carrying 393 passengers and the Iryo train 147, 112 Castilla-La Mancha said, adding that there was a "high number of injured". The regional government activated its territorial emergency plan (Platecam) at 9:15 and later raised it to level 2, and regional president Emiliano García-Page asked for the Military Emergencies Unit (UME) to join the operation, ABC reported. Guardia Civil officers, firefighters from Toledo and Ciudad Real, Civil Protection volunteers, three medical helicopters and intensive care ambulances were sent to the scene, where the regional health service set up an advanced medical post. The Madrid region sent eight fire crews and eight SUMMA medical teams. The mayor of Urda, Manuel Galán, said a sports hall was being prepared to receive those affected.
No official investigation finding on the cause has been announced yet. Spanish government sources quoted by El País and ABC say the possible cause is a human error by an Adif operator at a time when the line's main signalling system (LZB) had failed. According to these sources, trains had stopped when the automatic system failed and traffic had resumed under manual control with lateral signalling (BSL); the Iryo train was stopped on the track when the AVE hit it. This account has not been officially confirmed. Spain's Transport Minister Óscar Puente cancelled his schedule and went to the Atocha control centre in Madrid to follow the rescue, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo also cancelled their agendas. Castilla-La Mancha president Emiliano García-Page travelled to the site. Sánchez wrote on X that he was dismayed by the news and expressed his solidarity with the victims and their families.
High-speed traffic between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia has been suspended in both directions. Renfe is offering free changes and cancellations for affected tickets and has activated its assistance plan for victims and their families, with a helpline for relatives on 900 10 10 20.