Sixty-eight dead as high-speed train strikes stopped railcar in central Spain

A high-speed train struck the rear of another train that had stopped on the tracks in central Spain on Wednesday, killing at least 68 people. The collision occurred in the province of Toledo and left 58 people hospitalized. This is the second deadly rail accident in Spain this year.

The crash happened at 8:53 a.m. on a 63-kilometer stretch of track between Madrid and Seville. At 8:30 a.m., a computer malfunction disabled the security system on that line. All trains stopped. Transport Minister Óscar Puente said a central command center then ordered a RENFE train to restart without speed limits. Puente called that decision inexplicable and stated the train should have remained stopped or moved at a reduced speed.

The RENFE train hit an IRYO train. The impact derailed two carriages from the back of the IRYO train and the front of the RENFE train. Authorities said the RENFE train carried 397 passengers. The IRYO train carried 147 passengers. The train may have been traveling at 200 kph when it hit the stopped railcar.

Passengers described the sudden violence of the impact. Samy Paul, a British tourist on the RENFE train, said he heard a loud bang and felt the train fall apart. He reported seeing blood and smashed carriages. Ignacio Relaño, another passenger, said the train slowed abruptly before the collision. He described luggage and phones flying through the air as the car leaned to one side.

David Gómez, a construction worker nearby, ran to the scene. He told El Pais that he and others cut through fences to reach the injured. They used first-aid kits until emergency services arrived. Gómez said he saw a piece of a leg while pulling a young woman from the wreckage. Ambulances, medical helicopters, and a military emergency brigade responded to the site.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the crash site. He declared three days of national mourning. Sánchez said it is unacceptable for Spain to suffer two high-speed rail accidents in the same year. He called for increased safety measures to restore confidence in the rail system. Spain faces a national election on November 29.

Rail service is suspended between Madrid, Ciudad Real, and Andalusia. The country's soccer federation postponed all 24 Copa del Rey games scheduled for Wednesday. The crash occurred on a flat stretch surrounded by olive fields between Urda and Los Yébenes. Debris scattered down a gravel slope.

In January, a similar collision in southern Spain killed 46 people. That crash involved an IRYO train jumping the track and hitting an oncoming RENFE train. It was the deadliest in Spain since 2013. Spain has 3,900 kilometers of high-speed track. The network opened in 1992 and had no fatal crashes until this year. Private operator IRYO began running in Spain in 2022. A union spokesperson said increased traffic from privatization has strained the infrastructure.