Two Trains Collide in Toledo, Killing 64

Spain has long maintained one of the world's most extensive high-speed rail networks. On Wednesday morning, that system experienced a fatal collision in the province of Toledo.

A high-speed train operated by the state-owned RENFE struck the rear of a stopped service run by the private company IRYO. The impact derailed two cars. Authorities confirmed that at least 64 people died in the crash. Another 80 were injured.

The accident occurred on a flat stretch of track between the towns of Urda and Los Yébenes. Both trains were traveling in the same direction from Madrid toward Seville. Esther Padilla, a spokesperson for the Castilla La Mancha region, stated that hundreds of passengers were on board. The RENFE train carried 397 passengers, while the IRYO service held 147.

Emiliano García-Page, the regional president, provided a breakdown of the fatalities. He said 24 people died on the RENFE train and six on the IRYO train. The cause of the collision has not yet been determined. Rail service between Madrid, Ciudad Real, and Andalusia was suspended following the incident.

Passenger Ignacio Relaño was riding on the RENFE train. He told state broadcaster TVE that the train slowed abruptly before the impact. He described the car leaning to one side. "Everything went flying, luggage, cell phones. Everything shook," he said.

Debris from the shredded train car scattered across a gravel slope near the collision site. Emergency workers focused their efforts on the two most damaged cars. Mónica García, the Spanish Health Minister, noted that the high speed of the impact made the situation tragic. Injured passengers were transported to various hospitals in the area.

A military emergency brigade joined firefighters and police at the scene. Ambulances and medical helicopters moved continuously to and from the site. The mayor of Urda, Manuel Galán, said civil protection authorities asked his town hall to prepare a local sports pavilion for the injured. Unscathed survivors were placed on buses for transport.

This is the second major train accident in Spain this year. In January, a similar crash in southern Spain killed 46 people. That incident involved an IRYO train jumping the track and hitting an oncoming RENFE service. The January crash was the deadliest in the country since 2013.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez canceled his schedule to monitor the response. He wrote on X that he was dismayed by the serious accident. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia issued a statement expressing their sadness and concern for the victims and their families. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also offered condolences via social media.

Joan Rodríguez, a spokesperson for the train workers' union, spoke to TVE about the effects of recent changes. He said the increase in traffic from privatization has strained the infrastructure. Spain opened its rail network to private competitors only recently. IRYO began operating in the country in 2022. Rodríguez suggested that the upkeep of the lines may not have kept pace with the added use.

Spain has built roughly 3,900 kilometers of high-speed track over the past three decades. Only China has a longer network. The country serves 49 million residents with this infrastructure. All 24 Copa del Rey soccer matches scheduled for Wednesday were postponed.