At Least 68 Dead in Deadly Collision Between Two High-Speed Trains

A fatal collision involving two high-speed trains in Spain killed at least 68 people on Wednesday (28 October 2026). A high-speed train operated by Renfe struck a stationary train, while rescue teams continued searching the wreckage for possible additional victims.

The tragedy was Europe’s deadliest train accident since 2013 and Spain’s second fatal rail incident this year.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the country was mourning the tragedy. Transport Minister Oscar Puente explained that the collision occurred after a Renfe train was authorised to continue, despite having previously received a red signal because another train was stopped ahead on the track.

Puente said the red signal had been triggered by a communications failure in the computer system that automatically halts train traffic. However, an incorrect decision was subsequently made to allow the Renfe train to proceed again.

Speaking in a televised statement from the scene in southern Madrid, Sanchez called the incident a horrific tragedy. He pledged to ensure a thorough investigation and to address any weaknesses uncovered. He said, however, that the causes of this crash and the previous incident appeared unrelated.

“If we need to strengthen safety further to restore confidence in our high-speed rail system, we will do so. What a country like Spain cannot accept is having two high-speed train accidents in the same year,” Sanchez said, Reuters reported.

Spain’s opposition People’s Party also announced that it was cancelling all campaign events that day, ahead of next month’s general election.

Victims trapped between seats

At the crash site in the rural region of Castilla-La Mancha, ambulances, funeral service vehicles and helicopters were deployed to assist with the evacuation. One train was on an elevated section, while debris and twisted metal lay scattered down the slope where at least three carriages had fallen.

Emiliano García-Page, head of the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha, said the death toll had reached 68. As night fell, rescue workers were still searching for other victims.

They were unable to confirm whether any other people had died trapped inside the carriages before the train could be moved.

Some injured passengers, several covered in blood or bandaged, were evacuated along a road near the site. Spain’s Health Minister, Monica Garcia, said 80 people had been injured, including 15 in very serious condition.

One passenger, Salvador Arriza, described the chaos after the collision. He said some passengers tried to escape by breaking windows, while others were pinned between seats.

“I was very close to the door, but other passengers smashed the windows to get out. Some people could barely move because they were trapped between the seats,” the 62-year-old said.

Crash investigation begins

The latest crash was Europe’s deadliest rail accident since a train derailment in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, in 2013, which killed 80 people.

It also followed a fatal accident in January involving a high-speed train operated by the same company on the same line. In that incident, 46 people died after a train derailed and struck an oncoming train. The crash prompted debate about investment in railway network maintenance.

Renfe said its train had been authorised to continue before colliding with an Iryo train that was stationary on the track. The company said it did not know why the Iryo train had stopped.

“The Renfe train continued in accordance with instructions, and the collision occurred. The precise sequence of events, the rail traffic conditions and the circumstances at the time of impact must be established by the investigation,” Renfe said in a statement.

Iryo said it had activated its emergency protocols. Adif, the state-owned company that manages Spain’s railway infrastructure, had not responded to a request for comment.

A spokesperson for the Castilla-La Mancha government said the Iryo train was carrying 147 people and the Renfe service had 397 passengers when the crash occurred at about 9am local time. The collision caused two Iryo carriages to derail.

Passenger Rafael Barcelo said he was fortunate to have left his seat to get a coffee when the crash happened. He added that at least eight victims had been in his carriage.

“We were having breakfast and drinking coffee when we felt a very powerful impact that threw us around,” he said.

Meanwhile, at a school in Urda being used as a meeting place for victims’ families, a woman named Ana struggled to hold back tears as she waited for news of her husband, Pepe. His name was not on the list of identified victims, although police had found their pet dog, Trece.

Renfe said it had opened a dedicated communication channel for victims’ families. The company also halted ticket sales on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed line until 13 December.

Rail maintenance under scrutiny

The high-speed train crash has renewed questions about safety and the condition of Spain’s railway infrastructure. In an initial report in February, Spain’s Civil Guard identified possible damage to the track, the rail itself or a welded joint between two rail sections as the leading suspected cause of January’s accident.

Investigators are nevertheless considering seven other possibilities.

Spain’s railway safety authority has recorded an increase in accidents, including derailments and collisions, in recent years. The number rose from 45 incidents in 2016 to 57 in 2024, then reached 69 last year.

A Reuters analysis of data from Spain’s competition authority showed that around 25 million passengers travelled by high-speed rail in the country during the first half of 2026. That was about 14% fewer than in the same period a year earlier.

European Commission data also show that Spain’s investment in maintaining its roughly 4,000-kilometre high-speed rail network remains behind that of several major European countries.

Spain spent an average of around €1.5 billion a year on its high-speed rail network between 2018 and 2022, more than any other European country. However, most of the funding went towards building new lines. Only around 16% was allocated to maintenance, renewal and infrastructure upgrades.