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Key takeaways
- At least 68 people died when a Renfe AVE train hit a stationary Iryo train near Urda, regional officials said.
- Transport Minister Óscar Puente said a signalling fault was followed by a restart order issued while a stop signal was active.
- Figures for the dead and injured were still changing, and officials' injury counts differ.
- No official cause has been established, and Spain's CIAF investigation commission and a court in Orgaz are examining the crash.
At least 68 people were killed on Wednesday 28 October when a Renfe AVE high-speed train ran into the back of a stationary Iryo train near Urda, in Toledo province, on the Madrid-Seville line. The figure of 68 came from a spokesperson for the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, AP and ABC News reported. Officials warned the toll could rise. It was still changing as rescue and recovery work continued.
The count moved quickly through the day. Early in the day authorities reported at least 10 dead, and regional government spokeswoman Esther Padilla told TVE the number would surely rise. Regional president Emiliano García-Page said earlier that it had not yet been possible for rescuers to reach the depth of the carriages, El Confidencial reported. Renfe is Spain's state-owned rail operator. Iryo is a private operator.
The collision on the Madrid-Seville line
The trains collided at about 08:53 local time (CET), according to Transport Minister Óscar Puente, as reported by AP. The 112 emergency service logged 08:54. The site is near kilometre point 118 at Urda station, between Urda and Los Yébenes, about 150 km south of Madrid, according to AFP. AP described a flat stretch surrounded by olive fields, with carriages shredded and debris scattered down a gravel slope.
Both trains were travelling from Madrid to Seville. Padilla said Renfe AVE 2080 carried 397 people and Iryo 6076 carried 146 passengers and a baby. Iryo itself gave 147 passengers plus crew. Iryo said its train was struck from behind. The impact derailed its two rear carriages, which went down an embankment. Ignacio Relaño, a passenger on the Renfe train, was quoted by AP as saying: "We all felt the train abruptly slowing down and then the impact."
Officials' injury counts differ. AP, citing the regional government, said 58 people were receiving hospital treatment. Emergency services later said 77 people were in hospital, the Irish Times reported. García-Page said 15 people had severe or critical injuries and 53 were in hospital with moderate injuries. García-Page said 24 of the dead were on the Renfe train and the rest, 44, on the Iryo train.
Observers are reading: Puente's preliminary sequence from the 08:30 fault to the 25 km run, and the institutional question of who held control.
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Official response and what is not yet known
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the site and declared three days of national mourning, 29 to 31 October. He said that if there has been negligence, it will be known, and that CIAF and the courts will establish the cause. He said early indications point to causes different from the January crash, which investigators must confirm. The Civil Guard set up DNA collection points for relatives. The military emergency unit UME was deployed, King Felipe VI visited, and Adif suspended high-speed services between Madrid and Andalusia.
Politics followed quickly. The public-sector union CSIF demanded Puente's resignation, accusing him of singling out an Adif worker, Spanish media reported. Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo called for an immediate investigation and a judicial inquiry, and asked whether measures taken after Adamuz had been implemented, the Irish Times reported. The PP and PSOE suspended campaign events ahead of the 29 November snap election, while Vox kept to its schedule.
As of the latest reports, the formal cause, the reason for the 08:36 authorisation, the speed at impact and the final toll had not been established. On the current figure, Urda is Spain's deadliest rail crash since Santiago de Compostela in 2013, when 80 people died. It is the second fatal high-speed disaster in nine months. At Adamuz, in Córdoba province, on 18 January, 46 people died. Renfe and Iryo trains were involved in both.
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