Updated Oct. 28, 2026, 1:35 p.m. ET: Officials now confirm 64 dead and 58 injured; a Guardia Civil officer is among the dead, and the prime minister visited the site.
URDA, Spain, Oct. 28, 2026 —
A Renfe AVE high-speed train and a train run by the private operator Iryo collided Wednesday morning on the Madrid–Andalusia high-speed line between Los Yébenes and Urda, in Spain's Toledo province, according to a press release Renfe posted on X.
"Lamentablemente, y esto es lo más importante, los primeros datos del accidente indican que hay personas fallecidas y heridas," Renfe said in the release. In English: "Unfortunately, and this is the most important thing, the first information about the accident indicates there are people dead and injured."
Update: 64 dead, 58 injured
Castilla-La Mancha's regional emergency service, 112 Castilla-La Mancha, said in an update Wednesday that emergency services at the scene had confirmed 64 dead, whose bodies were recovered from the trains, and 58 injured (@112clm). An earlier post from the service had put the toll at 30 dead and about 100 injured.
Spain's Guardia Civil said one of its officers, José Manuel, died in the crash, and offered condolences to his family and colleagues (@guardiacivil). The Guardia Civil has asked victims' immediate relatives to go as soon as possible to its offices in Madrid (Calle Batalla del Salado 32) and Seville (Avenida de la Borbolla 8), or its Córdoba and Toledo commands, to speed up identification (@guardiacivil).
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the site with Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and the Interior Ministry says more than 300 Guardia Civil personnel are helping with traffic, care for the injured, rescues and identifying victims (Interior Ministry). "España está de luto," Sánchez wrote ("Spain is in mourning," translated by Launchpad Digital). "Trabajamos para esclarecer el origen de esta tragedia. Si ha habido negligencias o fallos, se sabrá. Y se actuará con contundencia." In English: "We are working to clarify the origin of this tragedy. If there has been negligence or failures, it will be known. And action will be taken forcefully" (@sanchezcastejon).
What the operators say
- The trains. Renfe says its AVE that left Madrid Puerta de Atocha at 8 a.m. local time, scheduled to arrive at Sevilla Santa Justa at 10:39 a.m., "ha sufrido un accidente con un tren de Iryo" ("was in an accident with an Iryo train") between Los Yébenes and Urda (Renfe release).
- The Iryo train. Iryo says its service 6076, traveling from Madrid to Seville, "ha sufrido un accidente a la altura de Urda, en el PK 118" ("was in an accident near Urda, at kilometer point 118") (Iryo official statement).
- Service suspended. Renfe says rail traffic is interrupted between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia, with free changes and cancellations for affected trains (Renfe). Iryo says all of its trains from Madrid-Puerta de Atocha to the southern corridor have been canceled and "no existe una previsión de restablecimiento de la circulación" ("there is no estimate yet for restoring service") (Iryo).
The emergency response
The regional government of Castilla-La Mancha activated its emergency plan, PLATECAM, in its emergency phase for Toledo province at 9:15 a.m. local time (4:15 a.m. Eastern), "por la colisión de dos trenes de alta velocidad en la estación de Urda" ("because of the collision of two high-speed trains at Urda station"), according to the regional 112 emergency service and the regional government.
Spain's Guardia Civil says it has deployed officers from Toledo province, mobile citizen-help offices, and its air service, drones, and Major Disasters Team of its forensic service, along with units from Ciudad Real and Albacete (Guardia Civil). The Interior Ministry says Spain's national civil protection office is following the emergency in constant contact with Castilla-La Mancha's teams (Interior Ministry).
Spain's Health Ministry says it has contacted the governments of Castilla-La Mancha and the Madrid region to offer all its services and is "preparados en colaboración con las CCAA para atender a los heridos" ("ready, working with the regions, to care for the injured") (Health Ministry).
What officials said
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote on X that he is "consternado ante el grave accidente de trenes en Toledo" ("dismayed by the serious train accident in Toledo") and is in constant contact with Transport Minister Óscar Puente and Castilla-La Mancha President Emiliano García-Page (Sánchez).
Puente wrote that he has been at the rail network's 24-hour control center since 9:40 a.m. local time "tratando de obtener toda la información posible de lo ocurrido" ("trying to get all possible information about what happened") (Puente). García-Page wrote that he was on his way to the scene and that his government had suspended its schedule (García-Page).
Spain's Royal Household said the royal family is "conmovidos y preocupados" ("moved and concerned") and sent condolences to the families of those who died and support to the injured (Casa de S.M. el Rey).
No official source has said what caused the collision.
For families, including Floridians with loved ones traveling in Spain
The rail infrastructure agency Adif lists these family-assistance lines (Adif):
- Renfe: 900 10 10 20 (Renfe asks that it be used only for victims and families)
- Iryo: 900 001 403
Adif says it has set up help points for people affected at Madrid-Puerta de Atocha Almudena Grandes, Sevilla-Santa Justa, Córdoba-Julio Anguita and Málaga María Zambrano stations.
Launchpad Digital has asked Renfe, Iryo, Adif and Spain's Ministry of Transport for comment and will update this story when they respond.
Those are the facts, directly from the source.
Sources: Renfe press release and X posts; Iryo official statements; Adif; 112 Castilla-La Mancha and the Government of Castilla-La Mancha; Guardia Civil; Spain's Interior and Health Ministries; Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez; Transport Minister Óscar Puente; Castilla-La Mancha President Emiliano García-Page; the Royal Household of Spain. All Oct. 28, 2026. Quotes translated from Spanish by Launchpad Digital.
← More World stories · All Launchpad stories · Spotted an error? Request a correction.