Two high-speed trains collided Wednesday morning near Urda in Spain’s Toledo province, killing at least 10 people in the initial official count and leaving authorities warning that the toll could rise. A Renfe AVE train struck the rear of a stopped Iryo service traveling toward Seville, sending two rear carriages off the track and down a slope.
The trains carried about 544 people combined: 397 passengers were on the Renfe service and 147 passengers were on the Iryo train, with one local account also describing a baby among those aboard. Emergency workers found severe damage in the most affected cars and began removing survivors and bodies while injured passengers were sent to hospitals in Toledo and surrounding areas. The cause of the collision had not been officially determined.
M., establishing command and medical posts and mobilizing the Civil Guard, firefighters, civil-protection volunteers and health workers. The response was later expanded, with the Military Emergency Unit sent to support rescue operations. Urda officials prepared a sports pavilion for affected passengers, while hospitals were placed on alert and blood-donation appeals were issued.
The collision halted high-speed rail traffic in both directions between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia. Renfe activated its victim-assistance plan and offered free changes and cancellations for disrupted journeys, while Iryo activated emergency protocols and suspended services from Madrid toward the southern corridor. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and regional leader Emiliano García-Page canceled or changed their schedules as rescue work continued. The accident came nine months after a separate crash near Adamuz in southern Spain killed 46 people and involved trains operated by the same two companies, intensifying attention on the country’s high-speed rail network. Reports citing emergency sources placed the death toll as high as 46, but the latest confirmed official figure remained at least 10 while recovery and identification efforts continued.