At least 30 people have died after two high-speed trains collided south of Madrid on Wednesday, according to regional officials cited by the BBC. The crash happened near Urda, in the Castilla-La Mancha region, and involved a Renfe train and a service operated by the company Iryo, which runs the Madrid–Seville route, rail operator Adif said. More than 500 passengers were on board the trains involved, a regional government spokesperson told the BBC.
Emiliano García-Page, president of Castilla-La Mancha, confirmed the figure of at least 30 dead and cautioned that the number could climb. Other outlets reported differing figures as the morning developed: The Guardian described at least 30 dead, Sky News reported at least 39, and The Telegraph said at least 46 were feared dead. The BBC noted that the count was still being established.
Why it matters
The collision is one of the deadliest rail incidents in Spain in recent memory and has halted political life at a sensitive moment. Spain is due to hold a general election on 29 November, and most parties cancelled campaign events scheduled for Wednesday. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he was shaken by what he called a serious accident and was in constant contact with the transport minister, according to the BBC. Members of his government also withdrew public engagements and were said to be monitoring developments closely.
The crash also raises immediate questions about rail safety on a network that carries large volumes of passengers between Madrid and the south. Vox, the far-right party, said it would not join the cancellations; its leader, Santiago Abascal, said the party would not take part in what he described as efforts to use mourning to silence criticism of the country's rail infrastructure, the BBC reported.
What passengers described
Accounts from people on the trains described a violent impact. A 17-year-old passenger told a Spanish broadcaster the scene was chaotic and called it a catastrophe. Another passenger, named Miguel, told Spanish radio station COPE that he was in the rear car with several colleagues when they heard what he described as an enormous thud lasting about ten seconds, as though the train were about to leave the tracks. Looking through a right-hand window, he said, he could see a wrecked train that he assumed was the other service.
BBC Verify examined footage circulating on social media. One verified video showed carriages from one of the trains overturned on the embankment beside the track, with the first carriage heavily damaged and debris scattered around it. A second showed emergency vehicles and rescue workers in high-visibility jackets at the same spot, with several people lying under blankets on the grass and a man holding an IV bag beside one of them. Drone images released by Spain's Civil Guard showed the scale of the response, with dozens of vehicles around the trains and derailed carriages, alongside helicopters and ambulances.
Emergency response and appeals for blood
Hospitals in the area suspended planned surgeries to handle the influx of patients from the crash, according to the Spanish news agency EFE, as reported by the BBC. The Centro de Transfusión in Madrid issued an urgent appeal for blood donations, citing a possible sudden rise in care needs, and the Toledo Blood Bank also sought donations, Spanish media reported.
Spain's royal family said it was moved and concerned by the accident in Urda. In a statement on X, they said they shared the sorrow of the families and loved ones of those who died and offered support to the emergency teams and everyone working in the area.
The opposition leader, conservative Alberto Núñez Feijóo, and most other candidates in the November election also cancelled their scheduled events, the BBC reported.
Authorities have not yet said what caused the collision. The confirmed death toll, the condition of the injured and the first official findings on the cause are the developments to watch in the coming hours.
