Overview
- Two high-speed passenger trains traveling from Madrid to Seville collided near Urda, Toledo, when a RENFE service struck the rear of a stopped IRYO train and derailed two carriages.
- Regional authorities confirmed 68 people dead and dozens injured while 397 passengers were on the RENFE train and 147 on the IRYO train.
- Transport Minister Óscar Puente said a computer fault stopped automatic train protection on a long stretch of track and that a central command inexplicably authorized the RENFE train to proceed despite a stop signal.
- Rescue teams and medical helicopters worked at the scene on Wednesday and the Madrid–Andalusia high-speed corridor was suspended as the Guardia Civil and rail safety investigators opened formal probes.
- The crash comes nine months after a deadly January collision on the same line and has renewed public and union concerns about signaling, maintenance and the impact of increased traffic on shared high-speed infrastructure.