Madrid, October 28,2026: Rescue workers in Spain were searching through wreckage on Wednesday after a collision between two high-speed trains killed at least 64 people, marking the country’s second deadly railway accident this year.
Emiliano Garcia-Page, leader of the central region of Castilla-La Mancha, said the death toll could rise further as emergency teams continued their search at the crash site.
“We are speaking of approximately 64 (dead), but this is probably going to grow even more,” he told reporters, revising an earlier toll of 31.
Evacuated passengers were seen walking along a nearby road, some covered in blood or with bandaged wounds, while others carried their suitcases. Volunteers distributed water donated by neighbouring towns as emergency services worked at the scene.
Hundreds of ambulances, funeral service vehicles and helicopters were deployed near the wreckage. Several carriages remained on an elevated section of track, while at least three had plunged down an embankment. Twisted metal and broken panels were scattered across the area.
Rail operator Adif said traffic on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed line had been suspended following a rear-end collision between two trains.
A Renfe train and an Iryo train collided shortly after 9am local time, a government spokesperson for Castilla-La Mancha said. The impact caused two Iryo carriages to derail. Authorities were still determining the cause of the accident and the number of injured passengers.
A passenger identified as Miguel told COPE radio that he and several colleagues were travelling in the rear carriage of one of the trains when the collision occurred.
“We heard a massive roar, a truly enormous thud that went on for 10 seconds, as if the train were about to derail. Through the right-hand window, we could see a wrecked train,” he said.
Manuel Galan, mayor of the nearby town of Urda, told Cadena SER that emergency services had asked the local council to prepare facilities, including a sports hall, to accommodate passengers and injured people.
The latest disaster follows a January collision between two high-speed trains near Adamuz in Cordoba province, which killed 46 people. That accident, involving a derailed train that struck an oncoming train, sparked debate over investment in railway maintenance in recent years.
The crash prompted an immediate response from Spain’s political leadership. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who is seeking re-election next month, said he was “shocked” by the accident and expressed solidarity with the victims and their families.
“Shocked by the serious train accident in Toledo,” Sanchez wrote on X, sending “my love, solidarity and support to all the victims and their families”.
His official schedule for the day was cleared, while the opposition People’s Party cancelled all campaign events, a spokesperson said.
Pakistan also expressed condolences over the tragedy.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was “profoundly grieved by the devastating train collision” and extended his deepest condolences to Sanchez and the people of Spain.
“We pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. Pakistan stands with Spain in its hour of sorrow,” he wrote on X.
President Asif Ali Zardari also expressed deep sorrow over the accident, offering heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and sympathies to those injured.
According to a post by the President House on X, Zardari expressed solidarity with Spain’s leadership and people and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
