Death toll confirmed at 69

Spain's Transport Ministry has increased the provisional death toll from Wednesday's high-speed train collision to 69. The number of people injured is pending confirmation.

Two trains collided near Toledo

A Renfe high-speed train bound for Seville with 393 people on board struck an Iryo train carrying 151 passengers near Urda, Toledo, more than 80 miles south of Madrid.

Safety system failed at 8:30 a.m.

At around 8:30 a.m., three computers on the railway network experienced a communication failure, taking the LZB control system offline along a 63 km stretch of track.

Command center ordered train to resume

By 8:36 a.m., the command center authorized the Renfe train to continue its journey, even though internal protocols dictated otherwise and a red signal should have prevented resumption.

Transport Minister blames human error

Transport Minister Óscar Puente said a combination of inexplicable human error and computer failure caused the tragedy. The control center made the decision to resume traffic under circumstances that are inexplicable.

“It was the control center, through its operators, that made the decision to resume traffic, under circumstances that, from our point of view, are inexplicable.”

Deadliest crash since 2013

The collision is now the deadliest train crash in Spain since a 2013 incident in Santiago de Compostela that killed 80 people. A similar crash in January 2026 in Adamuz, Córdoba killed 46 people.

Government declares three days of mourning

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the crash site and said his government would declare three days of mourning in response to the tragedy.

Investigation continues into cause

Police have appealed to family members to provide DNA sampling to help identify victims. Authorities are working to clarify every detail of the tragedy and strengthen security to prevent future incidents.