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2026 Toledo train collision

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2026 Toledo train collision
An Iryo Frecciarossa 1000, the model of the first train
A Renfe Class 103, the model of the second train
Map
Location of the collision in red
Details
Date28 October 2026 (2026-10-28)
08:54:03 CET (07:54:03 UTC)
LocationLos Yébenes, Toledo
Coordinates39°25′40″N 3°49′5″W / 39.42778°N 3.81806°W / 39.42778; -3.81806
CountrySpain
LineMadrid–Seville high-speed rail line
OperatorAVE (Renfe) and Iryo (ILSA)
Incident typeRear-end collision
CauseUnder investigation
Statistics
Trains2
Passengers544
Deaths69+
Injured179+

On 28 October 2026 at 08:54 CET (UTC+01:00), an AVE high-speed train collided end-on with a stationary Iryo high-speed train in Los Yébenes, Toledo, on the Madrid–Seville high-speed rail line, killing at least 69 people. Both trains involved in the crash were travelling from Atocha station in Madrid to Santa Justa station in Seville.

Government sources gave the likely cause of the crash as human error in the manual operation of signalling, after an automated system had failed.

Background

[edit]

At 07:54 CET, train 6076 operated by Iryo, using a Frecciarossa 1000 electric multiple unit, departed from Madrid Atocha railway station bound for Seville–Santa Justa railway station to the south, with 147 people on board. Six minutes later, at 08:00, AVE train 2080, using a Class 103 multiple unit, departed from the same station, also bound for Seville–Santa Justa, with 397 people on board.[1][2][3][4]

Collision

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The crash occurred near Urda, Toledo, at 08:54, at the 118 km marker[5] on the Madrid–Seville high-speed rail line.[6][7]

The AVE train was travelling at 160 to 200 kilometres per hour (100 to 120 mph) when it collided with the rear of the stationary Iryo train.[8] Some carriages fell down an embankment.[9][10] A rail from the track lifted up and pierced a carriage, visibly protruding from it.[11]

Diagram of the collision

According to El País, the LZB automatic signalling system had failed and the train was operating under human control.[12.1] Government sources indicated that human error by an operator at the Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias (ADIF) was the probable cause of the accident.[12.2]

The crash was the second major train disaster in Spain in 2026, following the Adamuz rail crash on the same line in January, which killed 46 people.[13]

Victims

[edit]

At least 69 people were killed in the crash.[1][14][15] More than 100 people were injured; 58 were hospitalised, including 15 in serious condition.[16][17][15][18] One of the dead was hit by the rail that pierced a carriage, according to a surviving passenger.[11]

Fátima Báñez, the former Minister of Employment and Social Security, was killed in the accident; she was in the last carriage of the Iryo train.[19][20] Other victims included classical music composer Marisa Manchado, athlete Julieta Gallego, bullfighting agent Antonio Vázquez, journalist Raúl Triguero and the father of the actor César Vicente.[21][22][23][24][25] One surviving passenger had also been aboard during the Adamuz crash in January 2026, having come out physically uninjured both times.[26] The Renfe train driver also died in the crash; he immediately applied the emergency brakes when he saw the Iryo train.[27]

Aftermath

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Local residents were also at the scene providing water and assisting the injured.[14] Eight firefighting personnel and eight emergency response units were the first at the scene. Additional crew from the Andalusian Health Service, Madrid City Council, and SAMUR were also dispatched. The Regional Government of Castilla–La Mancha and the Military Emergencies Unit were also on alert.[14] Three helicopters and two mobile intensive care units were dispatched to the scene.[15] The Spanish Civil Guard deployed more than 900 personnel to the crash site and established bureaus in Madrid, Toledo, Seville and Córdoba to investigate reports of missing persons.[28] Blood donation points were set up in Castilla–La Mancha and Madrid.[29] High-speed services between Madrid and Andalusia were suspended.[30] Due to services still being suspended, Wizz Air announced that they would introduce two temporary routes, from Madrid to Málaga and Madrid to Sevill. The routes would operate from 6 November to mid-December. Fares would be capped at less than €100.[31]

Investigation

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The Independent Authority for the Technical Investigation of Accidents and Incidents (AITAT) is responsible for investigating railway accidents in Spain.[32] A recording of the communications between the ADIF control centre and the trains was leaked to the media.[33] Óscar Puente, the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, went to ADIF's control centre in Atocha to learn the details of the incident. He described it as "inexplicable" that ADIF's control centre authorised the AVE high-speed train to resume normal operation when the Iryo train was still stationary in front of it.[2][34] Despite being visible from the Madrid control center, the order to stop to train was never given.[35]

Reactions

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A row of European Union flags at half-mast.
European flags at half-mast on 28 October
A memorial of red candles, photographs, artwork, and flowers on concrete flooring.
Memorial in the Seville–Santa Justa railway station on 31 October

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez released a statement that he was in contact with Puente and the president of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, and that "all [his] thoughts are with the victims and their families". King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia also issued a statement sending their "heartfelt support to the injured and all those affected".[36] Three days of national mourning were declared by Sánchez,[28] who also visited the crash site. Flags at the offices of the European Commission, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament were also set to half-mast in solidarity over the disaster.[37]

All 24 Copa del Rey first-round matches scheduled for 28 October were postponed by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) as a mark of respect for the victims of the collision. Several Spanish football clubs, including Real Madrid and Barcelona, expressed condolences to the victims and their families.[38] All political parties except Vox suspended campaigning ahead of the forthcoming general election.[39] Santiago Abascal, the leader of Vox, stated, "We will not accept a period of mourning that silences us while Spaniards are dying."[40]

A demonstration held the night of 28 October at the Transport Ministry building in Madrid was attended by around 1,500 people. Protesters demanded the resignation of Sánchez and Puente before being dispersed by police with tear gas after demonstrators hurled bottles and flares.[28]

This incident has fueled speculation around the safety of Spain's high-speed railway system, as another incident on the same line occurred just earlier that year, killing 46.[41]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 "Spain train crash latest: At least 39 dead after two high-speed trains collide". Sky News. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  2. 1 2 Geerts, Esther (28 October 2026). "Investigation launched into second fatal accident on Madrid – Andalucía high speed line this year". Railway Gazette International. Archived from the original on 28 October 2026. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  3. ↑ "Al menos 10 muertos y varios heridos al colisionar dos trenes y desprenderse dos vagones por un terraplén en Urda, Toledo" [At least 10 dead and several injured when two trains collide and two wagons detach from an embankment in Urda, Toledo] (in Spanish). RTVE. Archived from the original on 28 October 2026. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  4. ↑ "Numerous injured after two high-speed trains rear-end in Spain". The Straits Times. Reuters. 28 October 2026. Archived from the original on 28 October 2026. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  5. ↑ "Spain's High-Speed Train Collision, Mapped: What We Know About the Urda Crash | Mappr". 28 October 2026. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  6. ↑ "Two high-speed trains collide in Spain, rail operator says". CNN. Reuters. 28 October 2026. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  7. ↑ Latona, David; Pinedo, Emma; Merino, Mireia (28 October 2026). "Two high-speed trains collide in Spain, rail operator says". Reuters. Archived from the original on 28 October 2026. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  8. ↑ "Spaanse ramptrein botste mogelijk met bijna 200 km/u op stilstaande trein, dodental naar beneden bijgesteld" [Spanish disaster train possibly collided with almost 200 km/h on stationary train, death toll revised downward] (in Dutch). De Telegraaf. Retrieved 30 October 2026.
  9. ↑ Jones, Sam. "Spain train crash: at least 10 feared dead after collision in Toledo province". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  10. ↑ Walker, Carrington (28 October 2026). "Spain train crash sees two carriages plunge down embankment as 39 killed". Bristol Post. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  11. 1 2 F. Lascoiti, Guillermo (28 October 2026). "Un rail atraviesa uno de los vagones del tren de Renfe siniestrado en Urda (Toledo)" [A rail pierces one of the carriages of the Renfe train that crashed in Urda (Toledo)] (in Spanish). Antena 3.
  12. "Última hora del accidente de trenes en Toledo, en directo: Al menos 30 muertos en el choque de trenes en Urda" [Latest updates on the train accident in Toledo, live: At least 64 dead in a high-speed train collision in Urda]. El País (in Spanish). 28 October 2026. Archived from the original on 28 October 2026. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
    1. ↑ "Este sistema de seguridad está automatizado, pero al fallar, pasa a manual. Por eso se detuvieron los trenes, al fallar el sistema de seguridad automático, y se reanudó la circulación con control humano..."
    2. ↑ ""Un error humano de un operador de Adif ante una avería del sistema principal de señalización es la posible causa del accidente", señalan fuentes del Ejecutivo."
  13. ↑ Latona, David; Martinez, Guillermo; Gore, Michael Francis; Latona, David (28 October 2026). "At least 68 people dead in Spain's second major train crash this year". Reuters. Retrieved 29 October 2026.
  14. 1 2 3 "Más de 40 muertos tras el choque de dos trenes en Toledo" [More than 40 dead after two trains collide in Toledo] (in Spanish). La Vanguardia. 28 October 2026. Archived from the original on 28 October 2026. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  15. 1 2 3 Moon, Jenna; Williams, Nathan (28 October 2026). "Families desperate for news as rescuers work to identify Spanish train crash victims". BBC News. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  16. ↑ "Al menos 50 muertos tras chocar un AVE de Renfe contra un Iryo y sacarlo de la vía cerca de Toledo" [At least 50 dead after a Renfe AVE train collided with an Iryo train, knocking it off the tracks near Toledo.]. El Español (in Spanish). 28 October 2026. Archived from the original on 28 October 2026. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  17. ↑ "Última hora del accidente de trenes en Toledo, en directo: Al menos 30 muertos en el choque de trenes de alta velocidad en Urda" [Latest updates on the train accident in Toledo, live: At least 64 dead in a high-speed train collision in Urda]. El País (in Spanish). 28 October 2026. Archived from the original on 28 October 2026. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  18. ↑ "Death toll from Spain train crash rises to 74 as royals visit victims". Euronews. 29 October 2026. Retrieved 29 October 2026. Note: Headline number revised to 69 by 31 October
  19. ↑ "Aumenta la inquietud por Fátima Báñez, que sigue sin ser localizada tras el accidente de trenes de Toledo" [Concerns are mounting over Fátima Báñez, who has still not been found following the train crash in Toledo]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 29 October 2026. Retrieved 29 October 2026.
  20. ↑ Pascual Cortés, Raquel (29 October 2026). "Muere la exministra Fátima Báñez, que viajaba en uno de los trenes siniestrados en Urda" [Ex-minister Fátima Báñez, who was travelling on one of the damaged trains in Urda, dies]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 October 2026.
  21. ↑ "Muere la compositora Marisa Manchado en el accidente ferroviario de Urda a los 70 años de edad" [Composer Marisa Manchado dies in the Urda train crash at the age of 70]. Telecinco (in Spanish). 31 October 2026. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  22. ↑ Curry, Alicia; Wertheimer, Tiffany (29 October 2026). "Young athlete and former minister among victims of Spain train crash". BBC. Retrieved 30 October 2026.
  23. ↑ de la Serna, Zabala (29 October 2026). "Muere Antonio Vázquez, la sombra de Curro: adiós a un taurino de los que ya no quedan" [Antonio Vázquez, Curro’s shadow, has died: farewell to a bullfighting enthusiast of a kind we no longer see]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 October 2026.
  24. ↑ Cuartero Escartín, Abel (30 October 2026). "El actor César Vicente confirma la muerte de su padre tras el accidente de tren en Urda: "No hay alma que pueda quitarme esta pena"" [Actor César Vicente confirms his father’s death following the train accident in Urda: “No one can take this grief away from me”]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 October 2026.
  25. ↑ "Muere Raúl Triguero, reportero de '¡De viernes!' y 'Sálvame', en el accidente de tren de Toledo a los 43 años" [Raúl Triguero, a reporter for '¡De viernes!' and 'Sálvame', dies at age 43 in a train accident in Toledo]. elperiodico.com (in Spanish).
  26. ↑ "El doble milagro de Carmen tras salir ilesa en Urda y Adamuz: "No tiene daño físico, pero emocionalmente está muy afectada"" [Carmen's double miracle after emerging unharmed in both Urda and Adamuz: "She has no physical injuries, but is deeply affected emotionally"]. El Confidencial (in Spanish). 29 October 2026.
  27. ↑ "Antonio Acedo, high-speed train driver". Todo Alicante. 29 October 2026.
  28. 1 2 3 "Spain begins three days of mourning after train crash kills dozens". BBC News Online. Retrieved 29 October 2026.
  29. ↑ "Spain demands answers as rail disaster death toll rises". RTÉ. 29 October 2026. Retrieved 29 October 2026.
  30. ↑ Horowitz, Jason; Wolfe, Jonathan; Horowitz, Jason (28 October 2026). "Spain Train Crash Live Updates: At Least 10 Killed in High-Speed Train Collision, Officials Say". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 28 October 2026. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  31. ↑ Wizz Air [@wizzair] (31 October 2026). "Temporary domestic routes in Spain!" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  32. ↑ "Nace la autoridad independiente para la investigación de accidentes ferroviarios, marítimos y de la aviación civil" [Independent authority for the investigation of railway, maritime and civil aviation accidents is born] (in Spanish). RTVE. 20 February 2024. Archived from the original on 18 February 2026. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  33. ↑ Macías, Pablo (28 October 2026). "El Gobierno filtra los audios del accidente a medios afines para culpar al operario de Adif mientras oculta el fallo del sistema de seguridad" [The government leaks the audios of the accident to like-minded media to blame the Adif operator while hiding the security system failure]. Okdiario. Retrieved 29 October 2026.
  34. ↑ "Última hora del accidente de trenes en Toledo, en directo: Al menos 64 muertos en el choque de trenes de alta velocidad en Urda" [Latest updates on the train accident in Toledo, live: At least 64 dead in a high-speed train collision in Urda]. El País (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 28 October 2026. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  35. ↑ "Spain train disaster clouds Pedro Sánchez chances of re-election". www.bbc.com. 31 October 2026. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  36. ↑ "Spain train crash leaves at least 30 dead". CTVNews. The Associated Press. 28 October 2026. Archived from the original on 28 October 2026. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  37. ↑ "The institutions of the EU lower their flags for the Urda railway accident". Democrata. 28 October 2026.
  38. ↑ Hopkins, Jessica (28 October 2026). "Copa del Rey fixtures postponed after fatal high-speed train crash in Spain". The Athletic.
  39. ↑ Sekulich, Harry; Lukiv, Jaroslav (29 October 2026). "Spain train crash: Audio reveals exchanges between operators and drivers". BBC News. Retrieved 29 October 2026.
  40. ↑ Horowitz, Jason (29 October 2026). "Spain Crash Investigators Focus on Train Traffic Controllers' Role". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 29 October 2026.
  41. ↑ Zafra, Mariano; Ramos, Adrián Blanco; Devereux, Charlie (28 October 2026). "What we know so far about Spain's deadly train crash". Reuters. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
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