How Did 69 People Die in the Spain High-Speed Train Crash Near Urda?

At least 69 people died when a state-operated Renfe high-speed train struck the back of a stationary train operated by Iryo near the town of Urda, in the province of Toledo, Spain, on Wednesday 28 October 2026. More than 540 people were on board the two trains, and the collision has become one of the deadliest rail incidents in Spain in recent years.

Key facts

• What happened: A Renfe high-speed train struck the back of a stationary Iryo train at high speed.
• Where: On the high-speed line to Seville, near Urda, between the municipalities of Mora and Orgaz, about 140 kilometres south of Madrid. The draft also places the collision between Los Yébenes and Urda, in the province of Toledo.
• When: At 08:53 on Wednesday 28 October 2026 (07:53 GMT), according to an account given by the Spanish government.
• Death toll: At least 69 people died.
• People on board: More than 540 people across both trains. The Iryo train was carrying 146 passengers plus one baby, while the Renfe train had 397 passengers.
• Injuries: More than 100 people were treated for injuries, according to Spanish authorities. By the next day, 50 of them were still in hospital, 15 in a critical condition.

What happened

The privately run Iryo train appears to have been stationary when the state-run Renfe train struck it from behind. Iryo said its train was struck from behind by a Renfe train due to causes that are still unknown. Some carriages fell down an embankment.

A passenger told local media there was a heavy impact about 40 minutes into the journey. All train traffic on the line was stopped at stations along the route, and Renfe said services between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia were suspended.

Emergency response and national reaction

Fire crews and helicopters attended the scene. Hospitals in the area suspended planned surgeries, and a blood transfusion centre in Madrid appealed for urgent donations, reporting that facilities in Toledo, Ciudad Real and Alcázar de San Juan had cancelled procedures.

The Spanish Civil Guard set up bureaus in Madrid, Toledo, Seville and Córdoba to investigate reports of missing persons, with identification of missing persons and DNA samples as the top priority.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the whole of Spain is grieving and that lives have been shattered and families have been torn apart. On a visit to the crash site, he said the pain is immense, and that the government would get to the bottom of it and any negligence or security-system failures would come to light and be addressed with the utmost firmness.

Three days of official mourning began on Thursday. Spain's royal family posted on X that it was shocked and concerned and expressed condolences. An EU spokesperson said the bloc was ready to help Spain if needed.

What investigators are examining

Transport minister Óscar Puente said a computer failure at about 08:30 on Wednesday morning led to the initial halt of six moving trains, including the two that subsequently collided. He said the control centre took over in a system failure and decided to allow the trains to move again without any speed restrictions, a decision made under inexplicable circumstances.

Audio recordings obtained by Spanish media, as reported by the BBC, appear to show the controller telling the Renfe driver to disconnect and reconnect the LZB mechanism and then resume at normal speed. The driver asked, At normal speed? and the controller said, Yes. Under normal protocols the driver would be expected to continue at a maximum of 40km/h according to line of sight, not at normal speed on a track designed for speeds of up to 200km/h. The Lateral Signaling Block is a back-up or alternative system used when automatic signalling or data transmission fails.

A second recording has the Iryo driver saying the train is stationary in front of the entry signal at Urda, then later saying the train will not allow me to control the security system, which is why I am still stopped in front of the entry signal. That suggests the controller had been notified the Iryo train remained stationary as the Renfe train approached.

The final cause has not been confirmed. Investigators are examining the computer failure, the control-centre decisions that followed, and the recorded exchanges between the control centre and the drivers.

Context

This is the second high-speed rail tragedy in Spain this year. In January, a high-speed train derailed in southern Spain, its rear carriages going into the path of a state-run Renfe train, claiming the lives of 46 people.

What happens next

Identification of the victims and support for their families remain the immediate priority, alongside the investigation into the signalling and control-centre decisions. The toll and the hospital figures may be updated as authorities confirm further details.

Frequently asked questions

How many people died in the Spain train crash?

At least 69 people died in the collision near Urda on 28 October 2026.

Where did the crash happen?

The crash happened on the high-speed line to Seville, near Urda, between Mora and Orgaz, about 140 kilometres south of Madrid, in the province of Toledo. The draft also places it between Los Yébenes and Urda.

How many people were on the two trains?

More than 540 people were on board both trains: 146 passengers plus one baby on the Iryo train, and 397 passengers on the Renfe train.

What caused the crash?

The final cause has not been confirmed. Transport minister Óscar Puente said a computer failure at about 08:30 halted six moving trains, and that the control centre then allowed trains to move again without speed restrictions. Recordings reported by Spanish media are now part of the examination of those decisions.

What is happening for families of the victims?

The Spanish Civil Guard set up bureaus in Madrid, Toledo, Seville and Córdoba for reports of missing persons, and identification of missing persons and DNA samples were described as the top priority.