Toledo Rail Crash: State and Private Trains Collide, Killing 30

A state-owned RENFE high-speed train struck the rear of a stopped IRYO service on Wednesday morning in Toledo province, killing at least 30 people. The collision derailed two cars of the IRYO train, which was traveling from Madrid to Seville. Local media reported the initial death toll as 10, but authorities confirmed the figure rose to at least 30 as emergency crews worked through the wreckage.

The crash occurred on a flat stretch of track between the towns of Urda and Los Yébenes. Esther Padilla, spokeswoman for the Castilla La Mancha region, told state broadcaster TVE that the two trains were moving in the same direction. She stated that the RENFE train hit the tail of the IRYO train after the latter had stopped. Padilla said the cause of the accident remained unknown. The impact shattered one car into metal fragments and scattered debris down a nearby gravel slope.

Spain’s rail system operator ADIF suspended service between Madrid, Ciudad Real, and Andalusia following the incident. Padilla reported that 397 passengers were aboard the RENFE train and 147 were in the IRYO service. Spanish Health Minister Mónica García told TVE that emergency workers were prioritizing the rescue of survivors from the two most damaged cars. Injured passengers were being transported to various hospitals in the region.

"It was a high-speed impact, so we are expecting this to be a tragedy," García said. The IRYO company, which is owned by Italian investors, issued a statement confirming it had activated security protocols and was coordinating with local authorities. The mayor of Urda, Manuel Galán, said civil protection officials asked his town hall to prepare a local sports pavilion to treat injured travelers.

A military emergency brigade joined firefighters, police, and other emergency services at the scene. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez canceled his schedule to focus on the disaster. He posted on X that he was "dismayed by the serious train accident in Toledo" and that emergency services were attending to affected passengers. Sánchez, who faces a national election next month, added that his thoughts were with the victims and their families.

Regional president Emiliano García-Page told X he was en route to the crash site. This incident marks the second major train accident in Spain this year. In January, a train jumped the track and collided with an oncoming service in southern Spain, killing 45 people. That January crash was the deadliest in the country since 2013, a year that saw 80 deaths in a separate rail disaster.