At Least 68 Killed as High-Speed Train Crashes Into Stationary Train in Spain

Toledo: At least 68 people were killed and dozens injured on Wednesday when a high-speed train collided with another that had stopped on the tracks in central Spain, marking the country’s second deadly rail collision this year.

The regional government of Castilla-La Mancha confirmed the death toll and said a further 58 people were receiving treatment in hospitals. Rescue teams searched the wreckage throughout the day for survivors and victims.

The disaster comes just nine months after another fatal crash in southern Spain in January involving high-speed trains operated by the same two companies.

“Today all of Spain is grieving,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said from the crash site, where he announced that the government would declare three days of national mourning. Sánchez called for stronger safety measures to restore public confidence in a high-speed rail network once regarded as a source of national pride. “It is unacceptable for a country like Spain to suffer two high-speed rail accidents in the same year,” said Sánchez, who faces an election on Nov. 29.

According to Spain’s rail infrastructure operator ADIF, the accident occurred on Wednesday morning in the central province of Toledo and involved two high-speed trains carrying hundreds of passengers, both travelling south from Madrid to Seville. A train operated by state-owned RENFE struck the rear of a stationary train operated by private company IRYO. The impact derailed the two rear carriages of the IRYO train and the front of the RENFE train.

Authorities said the RENFE train was carrying 397 passengers and the IRYO train 147.

Minister Blames “Inexplicable” Order

Transport Minister Óscar Puente said the crash resulted from an “inexplicable” instruction issued by a central rail command centre after a safety system failed, adding that the train drivers were not at fault.

Puente explained that at 8:30 a.m., a computer malfunction disabled the safety system along a 63-kilometre (39-mile) stretch of track, bringing all trains on that section to a halt. The central command then instructed the RENFE train to resume running without any speed restriction, and it collided with the stationary IRYO train at 8:53 a.m.

He said the train should never have been cleared to move, as a “stop signal” was still active on the line, and that even if it had been allowed to proceed, it should have been ordered to travel at reduced speed.

Survivors Describe Scenes of Devastation

The collision took place on a flat stretch of track surrounded by olive groves between the towns of Urda and Los Yébenes. Carriages were torn into fragments of metal, with debris scattered down a gravel embankment.

Ignacio Relaño, a passenger on the RENFE train, told state broadcaster TVE that the train had briefly stopped before moving again and striking the IRYO train. “We all felt the train abruptly slowing down and then the impact,” he said. “The car leaned to one side like it was about to tip over. I hit my nose, everything went flying, luggage, cell phones. Everything shook.”

Another survivor recalled the moment of impact: “Suddenly, everything started falling apart. Bang! We fell down. We realized carriage two, carriage one, all gone, all smashed. There was blood all over.”

David Gómez, a construction worker employed nearby, told the newspaper El País that he ran to help after hearing the crash. “People were trying to get out through the windows … We cut through some fences to access the area and treated people with the first-aid kits we had brought until emergency services arrived,” he said. “As I was trying to pull a young woman out, there was a piece of a leg.”

Ambulances and medical helicopters shuttled to and from the site, while uninjured survivors were transported by bus. A military emergency unit was also deployed to assist in rescue operations. Rail services between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia were suspended.

King Felipe VI also visited the scene. “We share in the grief of the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, and we send our heartfelt support to the injured and all those affected,” the Spanish royal family said in a statement.