Latest developments (29th October 2026):
- Death toll: The president of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, maintains the figure of 68 dead but says more bodies may be found.
- Injured: Over 50 people remain in hospital, 15 of them in critical condition.
- Rescue work: Emergency teams continued overnight and managed to move one of the carriages that fell down an embankment.
- Investigation: Preliminary findings point to an operating decision at the Adif control centre. No final cause has been established.
- Rail services: High-speed services between Madrid and Andalusia are suspended until further notice.
On the morning of Wednesday, 28th October 2026, two high-speed trains collided at the entrance to Urda station in Toledo province. It is the second major accident on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed corridor this year, after the Adamuz crash in January. This is what we know so far.
How the accident occurred: what we know so far
According to Spain's Transport Minister Óscar Puente, a Renfe train struck an Iryo train that was stopped practically at the entrance of Urda station. The incident happened at kilometre point 118 on the Madrid–Seville route, between Mora/Orgaz and Urda, shortly before 9am.
The minister said a communication failure across three computers took down the LZB train protection system, around 08:30, on a 63-kilometre section. All trains in that section stopped automatically. Control then passed to Adif’s control centre in Madrid, which ordered some of the six stopped trains, including the Renfe AVE, to resume normal running. Iryo sources say its driver was still talking to the control centre, and had not yet received instructions to move, when the AVE hit the back of the train.
Unlike the head-on collision at Adamuz, this was a rear-end collision between two trains travelling in the same direction. Carriages left the track and dozens of emergency teams were mobilised. More than 500 people were travelling on the two trains.
Casualties and emergency response
As of 29th October, at least 68 people have died, and more than 100 were injured. Six hospitals in Castilla-La Mancha treated 110 people, and 107 were admitted. Many have since been discharged, and 53 remain in hospital, 15 of them in critical condition. Regional leader García-Page said all hospitalised patients have been identified. Some of the injured were also taken to hospitals in Madrid.
More than 500 people worked at the site overnight, including firefighters, health workers and Guardia Civil officers, and the regional health service mobilised over 120 ambulances and other health vehicles. Rescue work is continuing, and García-Page said the search at the site will go on for as long as necessary.
Forensic teams in Toledo are carrying out the identification of victims, and the Guardia Civil is collecting DNA samples in Toledo, Córdoba, Seville and Madrid to support this work. Families who have not been able to reach relatives who were travelling are being asked to file reports with the Guardia Civil, which has set up points in those four cities. Foreign nationals were also among those travelling. Mexico’s government has confirmed that one of its citizens is missing and seven others were slightly injured.
Investigation
Two investigations are under way. The first is technical, led by Spain’s Railway Accident Investigation Commission (CIAF), the official body that examines rail accidents. The second is judicial, led by a judge at the court in Orgaz, the nearest town with a court covering Urda. The Ministry of Justice has sent four more judges to help with the case.
The focus is on what happened after a failure of the LZB system, the automatic train protection that controls train speeds on the line. The failure stopped all trains in a 63-kilometre section. Adif, the state company that manages Spain’s rail network, then took over from its control centre in Madrid. Transport Minister Óscar Puente said the centre told the Renfe train, Spain’s state operator, to resume normal running even though the Iryo train was still ahead on the same stretch of track. He called that decision inexplicable, and government sources say human error is a possible cause. The controller who gave the order has been questioned by investigators.
The drivers’ union SEMAF has urged caution about causes. It also said that running trains in this degraded mode after technical failures should not become routine. Complaints have also been filed with the court against Adif and other parties by the political party Vox and by Manos Limpias, a civil servants’ association that regularly files legal complaints. No final conclusions have been reached.
Impact on Spanish rail services
- Madrid-Andalusia high-speed line: Suspended until further notice. Adif has not said how long it will stay closed.
- Renfe: Ticket sales on the corridor are blocked until December, though Renfe says it will resume service as soon as Adif reopens the line. Changes and cancellations are free.
- Alternatives: Renfe is running special conventional services linking Madrid, Ciudad Real and Puertollano, with journeys about 1.5 hours longer. A wider alternative transport plan starts on Friday.
- Ouigo: All Madrid-Andalusia services are cancelled until at least Monday 2 November, with full refunds.
- Strike: The SEMAF drivers’ strike called for 29th October is going ahead.
- Prices: Some passengers have reported steep rises in flight prices. Iberia says it will limit increases.
Information and support
Renfe and Iryo have opened dedicated helplines for families and anyone affected by the accident.
- Renfe (state operator): 900 10 10 20
- Iryo: 900 001 403
Authorities also ask the public to keep 112, Spain’s emergency number, free for emergencies rather than using it to ask about individual passengers.
Renfe and Iryo have set up family assistance centres, with psychological support, at the stations in Madrid, Córdoba and Seville. Atocha, Seville, Córdoba and Málaga stations are open 24 hours. The Guardia Civil is taking reports of missing persons in Toledo, Córdoba, Seville and Madrid, and Civil Protection has an assistance office in Urda.
Madrid’s health authorities issued an urgent appeal for blood donors on Wednesday. After a large response, regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso asked those who still wish to donate to wait for the coming days, when donations will still be needed.
Spain once again in mourning
Andalucía, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid have declared three days of official mourning. In Andalucía it runs until 14:00 on Saturday 31st October. Town halls across Spain held a minute’s silence at 20:00 on Wednesday, while several parties suspended campaign events ahead of the 29th November general election.
