Spain declares three-day mourning after 68 killed in rail crash
A Renfe train struck an Iryo service near Urda, marking the second major high-speed rail disaster in Spain this year.
By Adrian Kovalenko ·
Sixty-eight people died when a high-speed train collision occurred near the town of Urda on Wednesday morning, prompting the Spanish government to declare three days of national mourning. The crash is the second major incident on the network in 2026, following a January disaster that claimed 46 lives.
The two trains, one operated by the state-owned Renfe and the other by the private firm Iryo, were traveling in the same direction along the line connecting Madrid to Andalusia. After the Iryo train came to a stop, the Renfe train struck it from behind, forcing several carriages off the track.
Health officials reported that 107 additional passengers required hospital treatment, with 15 of those patients in serious condition. The transport minister cited an "error" and "inexplicable circumstances" as factors in the accident, which has intensified scrutiny of the national rail safety system.
Rescue teams worked through the night to clear the wreckage, using cranes to lift twisted metal sections. Emiliano García-Page, the regional leader for Castilla-La Mancha, warned that the death toll could increase because crews had not yet reached the bottom of the carriages. To assist with identification, the Civil Guard opened four offices in Madrid, Toledo, Córdoba, and Seville for DNA sampling from relatives.
In Urda, located roughly 130 kilometers south of Madrid, a local school has been converted into a center for family inquiries. Red Cross teams have been stationed there to support arriving relatives, many of whom arrived in tears. Psychologist Carmen Garcia from the Red Cross noted that the recovery process would be difficult, describing the crowd as a mix of people in shock, anger, and sadness. She stated that "The grieving will be complicated."
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the recurrence of accidents "unacceptable" for a country of Spain's size. He pledged to investigate the cause with "utmost severity" if any negligence or security failures are found. Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo demanded an immediate and independent review of the entire rail infrastructure, asserting that the public has the right to know the state of the network.
Among the first identified victims was José Manuel Chacón, a 31-year-old Civil Guard agent. The force offered its condolences to his family and colleagues. Spanish media also reported that a former minister from the People's Party and several foreign tourists were among those unaccounted for in the initial hours after the crash.
