A fatal collision involving two high-speed trains in Spain killed at\nleast 68 people on Wednesday (28 October 2026). A high-speed train\noperated by Renfe struck a stationary train, while rescue teams\ncontinued searching the wreckage for possible additional victims.<\/p>\n
The tragedy was Europe\u2019s deadliest train accident since 2013 and\nSpain\u2019s second fatal rail incident this year.<\/p>\n
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the country was mourning\nthe tragedy. Transport Minister Oscar Puente explained that the\ncollision occurred after a Renfe train was authorised to continue,\ndespite having previously received a red signal because another train\nwas stopped ahead on the track.<\/p>\n
Puente said the red signal had been triggered by a communications\nfailure in the computer system that automatically halts train traffic.\nHowever, an incorrect decision was subsequently made to allow the Renfe\ntrain to proceed again.<\/p>\n
Speaking in a televised statement from the scene in southern Madrid,\nSanchez called the incident a horrific tragedy. He pledged to ensure a\nthorough investigation and to address any weaknesses uncovered. He said,\nhowever, that the causes of this crash and the previous incident\nappeared unrelated.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we need to strengthen safety further to restore confidence in our\nhigh-speed rail system, we will do so. What a country like Spain cannot\naccept is having two high-speed train accidents in the same year,\u201d\nSanchez said, Reuters reported.<\/p>\n
Spain\u2019s opposition People\u2019s Party also announced that it was\ncancelling all campaign events that day, ahead of next month\u2019s general\nelection.<\/p>\n
Victims trapped between seats<\/strong><\/p>\n At the crash site in the rural region of Castilla-La Mancha,\nambulances, funeral service vehicles and helicopters were deployed to\nassist with the evacuation. One train was on an elevated section, while\ndebris and twisted metal lay scattered down the slope where at least\nthree carriages had fallen.<\/p>\n Emiliano Garc\u00eda-Page, head of the regional government of Castilla-La\nMancha, said the death toll had reached 68. As night fell, rescue\nworkers were still searching for other victims.<\/p>\n They were unable to confirm whether any other people had died trapped\ninside the carriages before the train could be moved.<\/p>\n Some injured passengers, several covered in blood or bandaged, were\nevacuated along a road near the site. Spain\u2019s Health Minister, Monica\nGarcia, said 80 people had been injured, including 15 in very serious\ncondition.<\/p>\n One passenger, Salvador Arriza, described the chaos after the\ncollision. He said some passengers tried to escape by breaking windows,\nwhile others were pinned between seats.<\/p>\n \u201cI was very close to the door, but other passengers smashed the\nwindows to get out. Some people could barely move because they were\ntrapped between the seats,\u201d the 62-year-old said.<\/p>\n Crash investigation begins<\/strong><\/p>\n The latest crash was Europe\u2019s deadliest rail accident since a train\nderailment in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, in 2013, which killed 80\npeople.<\/p>\n It also followed a fatal accident in January involving a high-speed\ntrain operated by the same company on the same line. In that incident,\n46 people died after a train derailed and struck an oncoming train. The\ncrash prompted debate about investment in railway network\nmaintenance.<\/p>\n Renfe said its train had been authorised to continue before colliding\nwith an Iryo train that was stationary on the track. The company said it\ndid not know why the Iryo train had stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Renfe train continued in accordance with instructions, and the\ncollision occurred. The precise sequence of events, the rail traffic\nconditions and the circumstances at the time of impact must be\nestablished by the investigation,\u201d Renfe said in a statement.<\/p>\n Iryo said it had activated its emergency protocols. Adif, the\nstate-owned company that manages Spain\u2019s railway infrastructure, had not\nresponded to a request for comment.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the Castilla-La Mancha government said the Iryo\ntrain was carrying 147 people and the Renfe service had 397 passengers\nwhen the crash occurred at about 9am local time. The collision caused\ntwo Iryo carriages to derail.<\/p>\n Passenger Rafael Barcelo said he was fortunate to have left his seat\nto get a coffee when the crash happened. He added that at least eight\nvictims had been in his carriage.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were having breakfast and drinking coffee when we felt a very\npowerful impact that threw us around,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, at a school in Urda being used as a meeting place for\nvictims\u2019 families, a woman named Ana struggled to hold back tears as she\nwaited for news of her husband, Pepe. His name was not on the list of\nidentified victims, although police had found their pet dog, Trece.<\/p>\n Renfe said it had opened a dedicated communication channel for\nvictims\u2019 families. The company also halted ticket sales on the\nMadrid-Andalusia high-speed line until 13 December.<\/p>\n Rail maintenance under scrutiny<\/strong><\/p>\n The high-speed train crash has renewed questions about safety and the\ncondition of Spain\u2019s railway infrastructure. In an initial report in\nFebruary, Spain\u2019s Civil Guard identified possible damage to the track,\nthe rail itself or a welded joint between two rail sections as the\nleading suspected cause of January\u2019s accident.<\/p>\n Investigators are nevertheless considering seven other\npossibilities.<\/p>\n Spain\u2019s railway safety authority has recorded an increase in\naccidents, including derailments and collisions, in recent years. The\nnumber rose from 45 incidents in 2016 to 57 in 2024, then reached 69\nlast year.<\/p>\n A Reuters analysis of data from Spain\u2019s competition authority showed\nthat around 25 million passengers travelled by high-speed rail in the\ncountry during the first half of 2026. That was about 14% fewer than in\nthe same period a year earlier.<\/p>\n European Commission data also show that Spain\u2019s investment in\nmaintaining its roughly 4,000-kilometre high-speed rail network remains\nbehind that of several major European countries.<\/p>\n Spain spent an average of around \u20ac1.5 billion a year on its\nhigh-speed rail network between 2018 and 2022, more than any other\nEuropean country. However, most of the funding went towards building new\nlines. Only around 16% was allocated to maintenance, renewal and\ninfrastructure upgrades.<\/p>",
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