BARCELONA, Spain, Oct 28 – At least 30 people were killed and 80 others injured after two high-speed trains collided in Spain’s central Toledo province on Wednesday, prompting a major emergency response as rescuers worked to reach passengers trapped inside the wreckage. Authorities warned that the death toll could rise as recovery and rescue operations continued.
The collision occurred when a moving high-speed train struck the rear of another train that had stopped, sending two carriages off the tracks and leaving several sections of the damaged trains severely destroyed. The accident involved hundreds of passengers travelling from Madrid toward Seville in southwestern Spain.
Emiliano García-Page, president of the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, confirmed that at least 30 people had died. He said the number of fatalities could increase as emergency teams continued searching the wreckage and assessing the condition of those involved.
The regional government also reported at least 80 injuries, with passengers being transported to hospitals across the surrounding area for treatment.
The crash represents another major setback for Spain’s railway network, which has experienced a series of deadly accidents this year. It also raises renewed concerns about passenger safety on the country’s extensive high-speed rail system, which has become one of the largest in the world.
Rescue Operations Underway as Authorities Investigate the Cause
Spain’s railway infrastructure operator, ADIF, confirmed that the collision took place on Wednesday morning in the province of Toledo. Following the accident, rail services were suspended along routes connecting Madrid with Ciudad Real and Andalusia, disrupting travel across a significant part of the country.
Esther Padilla, spokesperson for the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, told Spanish state broadcaster TVE that both trains were carrying hundreds of passengers and travelling in the same direction from Madrid toward Seville when the collision occurred.
According to Padilla, one train struck the rear of the other, causing two carriages to leave the tracks. Authorities had not established what caused the crash, and the circumstances leading to the collision remained under investigation.
The accident occurred on a relatively flat section of railway surrounded by open fields between the towns of Urda and Los Yébenes. Images and descriptions from the scene indicated the severity of the impact, with one carriage reduced to twisted metal and fragments of material scattered down a gravel slope.
Emergency personnel concentrated their efforts on reaching the most heavily damaged sections of the trains, where passengers could have been trapped. The condition of the wreckage complicated the work of identifying victims, recovering bodies and locating survivors.
Spanish Health Minister Mónica García told TVE that emergency teams were prioritising rescue operations in the two most severely damaged carriages. She said injured passengers were being transferred to different hospitals in the region, allowing medical services to provide treatment according to the needs of those affected.
García warned that the force of the collision made a serious outcome likely.
“It was a high-speed impact, so we are expecting this to be a tragedy,” she said.
The trains involved belonged to two separate operators, Spain’s state-owned RENFE and the privately operated IRYO. Spanish media reported that the RENFE train appeared to have struck the IRYO service.
García-Page said 24 of the fatalities occurred aboard the RENFE train, while six people died on the IRYO train. The figures reflected the initial assessment announced by regional authorities, with officials cautioning that the toll could change as rescue operations progressed.
Padilla said the RENFE train was carrying 397 passengers, while 147 people were aboard the IRYO service. The combined passenger total meant emergency teams had to account for hundreds of travellers while coordinating medical assistance, evacuations and efforts to contact relatives.
IRYO, an Italian-owned railway company operating in Spain, said it had activated its security protocols and was working closely with the relevant authorities. The company did not immediately establish the cause of the collision, which remained unknown as rescue teams continued their work.
Local authorities also mobilised resources to support passengers and emergency workers. Manuel Galán, mayor of the nearby town of Urda, told TVE that civil protection officials had asked the municipal government to prepare a sports pavilion to receive injured passengers.
The facility was intended to provide additional space for people requiring assistance while emergency services managed the immediate aftermath of the crash. A military emergency brigade was also deployed to support firefighters, police officers and other rescue personnel working at the scene.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez cancelled his scheduled engagements to focus on the disaster. In a message published on X, he said he was dismayed by the serious train accident in Toledo and confirmed that emergency services were working to assist affected passengers.
Sánchez expressed sympathy for those killed and their families, while offering support to people injured in the collision. His response came as the government faced a national election scheduled for the following month, although immediate attention remained focused on the rescue effort and the investigation.
Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia also issued a statement on X expressing sadness and concern over the accident in Urda, Toledo. The royal couple offered condolences to the families and loved ones of those who died and conveyed their support to injured passengers and others affected by the crash.
The collision was the second major train disaster involving the two railway companies during the year. In January, 45 people died in southern Spain after a train left the tracks and collided with an oncoming train. That accident was the deadliest railway disaster in the country since a 2013 crash that killed 80 people.
The January disaster had already shaken public confidence in Spain’s high-speed rail network, which is widely regarded as a major achievement in the country’s transport infrastructure. The latest collision added to those concerns, although investigators had not established whether the two accidents shared any common causes.
Spain has spent decades developing its high-speed railway system, expanding connections between major cities and creating an alternative to domestic air travel. The network has also become a central part of the country’s transport infrastructure, supporting business travel, tourism and movement between regions.
According to figures from the International Union of Railways, Spain has approximately 3,900 kilometres (2,400 miles) of high-speed railway tracks. The country, with a population of about 49 million, ranks second globally in the length of its high-speed network, behind China, which has around 45,000 kilometres (28,000 miles) of such tracks serving a population of approximately 1.4 billion.
Spain’s railway union defines high-speed rail as infrastructure used by trains travelling at speeds of 250 kilometres per hour (155 mph) or higher. Investment in the system over more than three decades has helped establish the country as a global leader in high-speed passenger transport.
The market for high-speed rail services has also changed in recent years. Spain opened its network to competition from private operators, ending RENFE’s longstanding position as the principal provider of these services. IRYO began operating in the country in 2022, joining a sector that has expanded as private companies entered the market.
For now, the immediate priorities remain the rescue of any surviving passengers, treatment for the injured, identification of those who died and notification of their families. Authorities are also expected to investigate the sequence of events that led one train to strike another on the line.
With at least 30 people confirmed dead and dozens injured, the collision has once again placed railway safety under scrutiny in a country whose high-speed network has long been regarded as a symbol of modern infrastructure. The final death toll and the cause of the disaster remained uncertain as emergency crews continued working at the scene.