Renfe Train Strikes Iryo Coach After Signal Error

A Renfe high-speed train collided with the rear of an Iryo train on Wednesday, October 28, approximately 140 kilometers south of Madrid. The crash occurred shortly before 08:30 local time on the line connecting the capital to Seville. Transport Minister Oscar Puente stated that the Renfe service was ordered to proceed in error following a computer failure in the automatic signaling system.

The Renfe train, operated by the state, carried 397 passengers. The Iryo train, run by a private company, had 147 passengers on board. All trains on the affected stretch had been forced to stop due to the signal issue. Puente described the subsequent movement of the Renfe train as a scenario that should have been impossible. The impact struck the Iryo train between the municipalities of Mora and Orgaz.

Survivors described immediate chaos and structural damage. Tangui Binier, 22, was in the front carriage of the Iryo train. He reported seeing wires fall and smoke rise after the train stopped abruptly. Upon exiting, he saw the rear of his train completely flipped over and covered in debris. Binier noted the presence of dead bodies and missing limbs, expressing uncertainty about his long-term recovery. His father, who was uninjured, helped carry a girl with a broken hip to safety while waiting for emergency crews.

On the Renfe train, journalist Roberto Gomez was dozing when the vehicle moved again after a brief stop. He told Onda Cero radio that the impact destroyed his carriage and scattered suitcases. Gomez suffered minor injuries but observed another passenger with a deep head gash. He assisted individuals who sustained severe blows to the chest and ribs. Rafael Barcelo, who was drinking coffee in coach seven, said everyone was thrown into the air. He counted at least eight victims in that specific car, which he identified as the most destroyed section.

Salvador Arriza reported that carriages far from the initial impact were also wrecked. Seats were torn loose, and passengers facing the direction of travel were thrown forward. Arriza noted a piece of track pierced the roof of one coach, a factor he believed may have reduced the train's momentum. Sebastian Herrero, a passenger on the Iryo train, said the force of the impact threw him onto the seats in front of him. He described widespread injuries, including broken noses and arms, along with smoke filling the carriages.

Passengers questioned the safety protocols that allowed the collision. One survivor said it was impossible that one train stopped for five to ten minutes while the other was not warned. The driver of the incoming train, they argued, should have received the alert. The accident adds to recent concerns in Spain following the Adamuz disaster in January, where 46 people died on the same line near Cordoba.