- A Renfe AVE and an Iryo train collided on 28 October in Urda (Toledo), on the Madrid–Andalusia high-speed line, with at least 64 deaths according to provisional official figures.
- The Government has declared three days of official mourning and the court in Orgaz is investigating the causes.
- High-speed services between Madrid and Andalusia are suspended, affecting travellers, workers and companies that depend on that corridor.
Shortly before nine in the morning on Wednesday 28 October 2026, a Renfe AVE and an Iryo train collided at kilometre 118 of the Madrid–Seville high-speed line, between Los Yébenes and Urda, in the province of Toledo. Several carriages derailed and fell down an embankment. The two trains were carrying 544 people. At the time of writing, the president of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, put the death toll at 64, other counts raised it to 68, and more than eighty injured had been taken to hospitals in Toledo, Ciudad Real, Albacete, Alcázar de San Juan and Madrid.
Our first thoughts are with the victims, their families and everyone travelling on those trains, and with the emergency teams working at the scene. It is the second serious accident on Spain’s high-speed network this year, after the one at Adamuz (Córdoba) in January. This note sets out what is known from official sources; the figures are provisional and may change.
What is known
According to the Transport Minister, Óscar Puente, after a failure of the LZB signalling system the Atocha control centre allowed the AVE to move off again with the signal at red, which the minister described as a «wrong decision». The Civil Guard has questioned an Adif operator, and the train drivers’ union Semaf has urged caution until the investigation is complete.
The court in Orgaz has taken charge of the judicial investigation, with reinforcements offered by the General Council of the Judiciary. The Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, said that if there was negligence or the safety system failed, it will be known and there will be a response. The Government has declared three days of official mourning from Thursday 29, and several regions have joined.
Support for families
The Civil Guard has asked first-degree relatives of possible victims to go as soon as possible to the points set up to take DNA samples, in Madrid and at its Toledo, Seville and Córdoba headquarters, and not to travel to the scene. Adif has opened assistance points at Madrid-Atocha, Seville and Córdoba stations.
Renfe is assisting those affected and their families on 900 10 10 20, and Iryo on 900 001 403. The authorities have also called for blood donations.
Effects on transport and on companies
High-speed traffic between Madrid and Andalusia is suspended, with no reopening date announced at the time of writing. It is one of the busiest rail corridors in Spain, and its closure affects business travel, journeys already booked and the activity of the companies that depend on it. Iberia has capped fares on its flights to Andalusia at 99 euros, and the Semaf union is maintaining the strike called for Thursday 29.
For companies, the first thing is to find out whether any employee, customer or associate was travelling on those trains and to support those affected. Employment law provides paid leave in such cases: five days for a serious accident or hospitalisation of a relative up to the second degree, and two days for a death, extendable to four if travel is needed. This information is of a general nature.
Today the victims and their families come first.
This article is general information. It is not legal, tax or investment advice, and it does not take anyone’s particular circumstances into account.
