On October 28, 2026, two passenger trains collided on the Madrid–Seville high-speed railway line in Spain’s Toledo province, killing dozens of people and injuring numerous passengers. Different reports have given varying figures for the death toll, while the cause of the accident remains under investigation.

According to reports, the accident occurred at around 9:00 a.m. local time near the towns of Mora, Orgaz and Urda, at the 118-kilometre mark of the railway line. Adif, the operator of Spain’s railway infrastructure, said the incident involved a rear-end collision between a train operated by state-owned Renfe and a train belonging to private company Iryo. Both trains were travelling from Madrid to Seville.

Preliminary information indicates that the Renfe train struck the rear of the Iryo train, which was stationary on the tracks. Two carriages of the Iryo train derailed as a result of the collision.

Authorities in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha confirmed in an official statement that 30 people had died. However, other media outlets, citing the civil protection service, reported that the death toll had reached 46 and that 178 people had been injured. The number of casualties is still being verified.

According to Spain’s Ministry of Transport, the Renfe train was carrying 397 passengers, while the Iryo train had 146 passengers on board, including an infant. This means that more than 540 people were travelling on the two trains combined. Some media reports have provided different figures for the distribution of passengers between the trains.

The official cause of the accident has not yet been determined, and the investigation is ongoing. Some publications have suggested that human error may have contributed to the crash, but this possibility has not been officially confirmed.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed his deep sorrow over the tragedy and said he was in regular contact with the transport minister. He also cancelled his scheduled engagements. A 17-year-old passenger who witnessed the accident described the scene as chaotic and called the incident a catastrophe.

Following the crash, Adif temporarily suspended high-speed rail services between Madrid and Andalusia in both directions. Iryo cancelled all trains departing from Madrid-Puerta de Atocha station for destinations in the country’s southern regions. Renfe offered passengers affected by cancellations the option of exchanging their tickets free of charge or receiving refunds. Iryo said that all relevant emergency response procedures had been activated and that rescue operations were being carried out in coordination with the appropriate authorities.

Amid concerns that the number of injured people could rise, the blood donation centre in Madrid and the blood bank in Toledo appealed to residents to donate blood.

The incident is among several major railway accidents to have occurred in Spain in recent months. According to the report, in January this year, an Iryo train derailed near the town of Adamuz in Córdoba province and collided with an oncoming Renfe train. More than 40 people died in that accident. It was described as one of Spain’s deadliest railway disasters since the 2013 crash near Santiago de Compostela, which claimed 80 lives.