TOLEDO, Spain – At least 64 people have died after a Renfe high-speed train collided with an Iryo train near Urda in central Spain on Wednesday morning, according to figures attributed to the Castilla-La Mancha regional government. More than 100 people were reported injured as emergency teams continued rescue and medical operations.
The collision occurred at about 8:54 a.m. on October 28 near kilometer 118 of the high-speed line between Madrid and Andalucía. The trains were travelling on the Madrid-Seville route. The regional government’s reported death toll had risen from an initial 30 as rescuers reached more of the damaged carriages.
The latest detailed medical update located for this report was issued at 2 p.m. local time. It recorded 108 injured people receiving care: 58 in hospitals and 50 at temporary care facilities in nearby towns. Fifteen hospital patients were classified as very seriously injured. The figures describe the reported situation at that time and may change as rescue and hospital assessments continue.
The regional emergency service’s online incident page still showed an earlier count of 30 deaths. The higher figure of at least 64 was reported later by media outlets citing regional government sources. The precise current toll must be reconfirmed against the next direct official briefing before publication.
What happened near Urda
The collision involved Renfe AVE train 2080, which had departed Madrid-Puerta de Atocha for Seville, and Iryo service 6076. The regional government reported that 397 passengers were aboard the Renfe train and 147 on the Iryo service, bringing the combined passenger total to 544.
The impact derailed several carriages of the Iryo train, with some reported to have fallen down an embankment. The severity of the damage made it difficult for rescue teams to reach everyone inside the affected sections. Authorities said the rising death toll reflected access to carriages that rescuers had not been able to reach earlier.
Renfe confirmed that its Madrid-Seville AVE service had been involved in the accident. Iryo said its service 6076 was travelling from Madrid to Seville with 147 passengers, alongside its crew. The company said the cause of the collision remained unknown and that it was cooperating with Adif, Renfe and the authorities.
Rescue teams and medical response
Castilla-La Mancha activated its regional emergency plan at 9:15 a.m. and raised it to operational level 2 at 10:30 a.m. The higher level allowed additional emergency resources to be requested, including Spain’s Military Emergency Unit, known as the UME.
Firefighters, Guardia Civil officers, local police, civil protection volunteers and medical teams were sent to the scene. Medical personnel established a triage and treatment area to assess injured passengers and arrange transfers to hospitals. Psychosocial support teams were also alerted to assist affected passengers and families.
The regional government established temporary assistance facilities in Urda and nearby areas. The authorities also arranged family-assistance points at major stations and local facilities so relatives could seek information about passengers. Rescue and identification work remained a priority as the casualty figures developed.
Investigators have not established the cause
The cause of the collision remains under investigation. Officials have not yet established whether a signaling problem, a traffic-control decision, equipment failure or another factor caused the trains to collide.
Reports citing sources in Spain’s Transport Ministry described a possible signaling-system incident before the collision and raised questions about how train movements were authorized afterward. These accounts remain preliminary explanations, not a final technical finding. They do not establish individual responsibility or prove that a particular safety system failed in a way that caused the crash.
Adif, the infrastructure manager, is involved in the response and controls the affected railway infrastructure. Renfe and Iryo are cooperating with the authorities. The investigation must establish the trains’ movements, the signaling and communications records, the state of the infrastructure and the sequence of decisions before the impact.
No final finding on responsibility or cause was available in the official material reviewed for this report. The article should not attribute the collision to human error or a signaling failure until investigators release evidence supporting that conclusion.
High-speed services between Madrid and Andalucía suspended
Adif confirmed that high-speed traffic on the Madrid-Andalucía line was interrupted after the collision. Its network update at 12:50 p.m. said trains on the affected line were stopped at stations along the route. Services on the Madrid-Toledo and Málaga-Seville high-speed sections were reported to be operating normally at that time.
The disruption affects journeys linking Madrid with destinations in southern Spain, including Córdoba and Seville. Passengers were advised to contact their train operator for current service information and arrangements. The status of individual services may change as the emergency response and infrastructure inspections continue.
Renfe said the accident had interrupted travel between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalucía. Iryo also activated its emergency procedures and reported cancelling trains departing Madrid-Puerta de Atocha for the southern corridor. Travellers should check directly with the operator before going to the station. <
Assistance for passengers and families
Authorities and railway operators have published the following assistance contacts for people directly affected by the collision.
- Castilla-La Mancha emergency information: 900 122 112.
- Renfe victim and family assistance: 900 10 10 20.
- Iryo assistance: 900 001 403.
- Adif assistance points: Madrid-Puerta de Atocha Almudena Grandes, Sevilla-Santa Justa, Córdoba-Julio Anguita and Málaga-María Zambrano.
The regional government said the emergency information line was available to relatives and friends seeking information about people who may have been aboard the trains. Adif also confirmed the Renfe and Iryo assistance numbers and the station-based support points.
People seeking information should use these official channels rather than circulate unconfirmed names or photographs of possible victims. Authorities must confirm identities and notify families before names are published.
A tragedy with wider implications for rail safety
The collision has renewed attention to railway safety on one of Spain’s main high-speed corridors. However, comparisons with earlier rail disasters should not be used to infer a common cause before the technical investigations are complete.
The priority is to establish a verified casualty count, identify victims, support survivors and determine exactly how the collision occurred. That requires investigators to examine physical evidence and operational records, alongside the accounts of the railway operators and infrastructure manager.
The available evidence confirms a devastating collision and a major disruption to rail services. It does not yet establish the cause. The death toll, injury figures, rescue status and transport arrangements require continued verification as official updates are released.
Reporting Credit: Castilla-La Mancha regional government and 112 emergency service — emergency plan activation, incident information and family-assistance arrangements for the October 28, 2026, collision near Urda. Adif — network disruption notice, incident location and official station-based assistance information, including the 12:50 p.m. network update. Renfe — official statement confirming the involvement of its Madrid-Seville AVE service, activation of its victim and family assistance plan, and telephone support number. Iryo — public statement concerning service 6076, passenger numbers, emergency procedures and cooperation with the authorities. The reported death toll of at least 64 and the detailed injury figures require reconfirmation against the latest direct government briefing before publication. The technical cause and any question of responsibility remain unresolved.
