Death toll reaches 30 after high-speed train collision in Toledo

Spanish authorities confirmed at least 30 people died on Wednesday morning when a high-speed train collided with the rear of another service that had come to a halt. The crash occurred in the province of Toledo, specifically in a flat, field-adjacent stretch of track between the towns of Urda and Los Yébenes. Initial reports from Spanish state-owned agency EFE and other media outlets placed the death toll at 30, a sharp increase from the 10 fatalities initially reported by regional officials.

Esther Padilla, spokeswoman for the Castilla La Mancha region, told state broadcaster TVE that the two trains were traveling in the same direction from Madrid toward Seville. She stated that the RENFE train, which carried 397 passengers, struck the IRYO train, which had 147 passengers on board. The impact knocked two cars off the track, leaving one vehicle shredded into metal fragments and debris scattered down a gravel slope. Padilla noted that the specific cause of the crash remained unknown at the time of her remarks.

Spanish rail operator ADIF suspended all service between Madrid, Ciudad Real, and Andalusia following the incident. Health Minister Mónica García told TVE that emergency teams were prioritizing the rescue of survivors and bodies from the two most damaged cars. Injured passengers are being transported to various hospitals in the region. García described the scene as a tragedy resulting from a high-speed impact.

Local officials mobilized resources to assist the wounded. Manuel Galán, the mayor of Urda, said civil protection authorities requested that the town hall prepare a sports pavilion to treat injured passengers. A military emergency brigade joined firefighters, police, and other emergency services at the crash site. IRYO, an Italian-owned private rail company, said it had activated its security protocols and was coordinating closely with government bodies.

National leaders responded to the accident. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez canceled his scheduled agenda to focus on the crash. He posted on X that he was dismayed by the serious accident in Toledo and that his thoughts were with the victims and their families. Sánchez faces a national election next month. Regional President Emiliano García-Page wrote on X that he was traveling to the crash site.

This is the second major train accident in Spain this year. In January, 45 people died in southern Spain when a train jumped the track and hit an oncoming service. That incident was the deadliest in the country since 2013, when a crash killed 80 people. The January collision had shaken public confidence in Spain's extensive high-speed rail network.