At least 69 people have died, and dozens remain injured after a high-speed Renfe train struck a stationary Iryo train in Toledo, triggering safety concerns across Spain's rail network ahead of upcoming general elections.
Heavy-duty cranes managed to move one of the carriages of two severely damaged trains from an embankment this Thursday (29.10.2026) in the Spanish province of Toledo, while emergency services continue the search for victims of the disaster.
Security forces have received 64 reports from relatives of missing persons so far, while the death toll remains at 68 alongside dozens of injured individuals, many of whom are currently hospitalized.
Response teams remained active throughout the night, supported by large floodlights, continuing to inspect the area in search of passengers who might still be trapped in the twisted metal or around the tracks.
Authorities established a two-kilometer perimeter around the accident site to allow judicial personnel leading the investigation to conduct their work.
The accident occurred when, according to the Ministry of Transport, a high-speed train (AVE) belonging to the state-owned company Renfe rear-ended another train owned by the company Iryo near the town of Urda, approximately 150 kilometers south of Madrid.
The Renfe train carried 378 passengers and had departed from the capital bound for Seville, while the Iryo train had departed a few minutes earlier on the same route and was stationary on the tracks with 147 passengers, causing several carriages to plunge down the embankment due to the violent impact.
"I woke up, and I was in the air," recounted Josimar Medina, a 31-year-old Peruvian tourist traveling with his girlfriend on the Renfe train, while Pablo Mejía, 42, whose decision to seek a more comfortable seat in another carriage saved his life, stated: "I think I've been reborn."
Emergency teams continued searching for victims among the wreckage, as regional president Emiliano García-Page noted that it remains uncertain whether moving the carriages might uncover additional bodies.
The train drivers' union Semaf began a planned 24-hour strike at midnight to demand structural safety improvements, reviving public concern over the national rail network following a collision in Adamuz last January that left 46 dead.
In nearby Urda, part of a school was converted into a support center where relatives received assistance from Red Cross staff during hours described by psychologist Carmen García as hard and long for those in shock and grief.
Civil Guard personnel set up four DNA collection points in Madrid, Toledo, Córdoba, and Seville to help identify victims, while blood donation sites were established across Castilla-La Mancha and Madrid.
Urda parish priest José Miguel Fernández offered support to affected families at the scene, describing the location as "an image of desolation, hopelessness, uncertainty, death."
Transport Minister Óscar Puente explained that an IT failure around 08:30 local time forced six trains to stop, but the Renfe AVE resumed normal speed after receiving an "unexplainable" and "erroneous" order from the control center before striking the rear of the Iryo train.
The disaster occurred one month before the November 29 snap general elections called by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who visited the site and pledged to determine if negligence played a role. (CubaSí)