Spain Train Crash: 69 Dead as Report Finds Train Was Speeding at 160kph
The state-owned Renfe train involved in Spain’s deadliest rail disaster since 2013 was travelling at a speed of at least 160 kph (99 mph) when it smashed into a stationary service near Urda, according to a preliminary report.
Renfe Train Crash Kills 69 People South of Madrid
The collision happened on Wednesday morning, October 28, 2026, south of Madrid in the central region of Castilla-La Mancha. The crash turned a sleepy stretch of railway lined by olive groves into a scene of carnage. A preliminary report by the Independent Authority for the Technical Investigation of Accidents and Incidents estimated the Renfe train speed between 160 and 200 kph at impact. The transport ministry and regional authorities confirmed the death toll reached 69 people, with scores more injured.
Forensics experts in green jackets, army vehicles, sniffer dogs, and thermal drones searched the site equipped with red marquees and refrigerated containers. Among the identified victims was Julieta Gallego, a jumper with the Madrid-based AD Sprint athletics club, whose death prompted a tribute from Raúl Chapado, President of the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation. Both the state operator Renfe and the private company Iryo operated the trains involved, echoing a liberalisation of Spain’s high-speed rail network that began in 2021.
Control Centre Authorised Train to Proceed Despite Signalling Failure
The disaster occurred after several trains automatically stopped due to a failure in the automatic signalling system. The central control centre in Madrid subsequently took over manual operations. Transport Minister Óscar Puente stated that the central control centre authorised the Renfe train, carrying 379 passengers and seven crew, to proceed despite a stationary Iryo-operated train carrying 147 passengers and five crew remaining ahead on the track.
Audio obtained by El País revealed that a controller authorised the Renfe train to continue at normal speed, disregarding a protocol requiring trains to travel at no more than 40 kph during such failures. The audio further indicated that the controller instructed the Renfe train to proceed before the Iryo train, reversing protocol. The preliminary report concluded that the sequence of malfunctions, instructions, and actions eventually led to the collision in the absence of necessary mitigating barriers.
Authorities Conduct Autopsies to Identify Missing Persons
Emergency services and the military emergency brigade worked carefully at the site as authorities carried out 49 autopsies. Esther Padilla, spokesperson for the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, stated on state television network TVE that testing proceeded slowly while families were contacted to collect results. Authorities noted that it remains unclear how many of the 64 missing persons reported by the Civil Guard are among the bodies yet to be identified.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the crash site in the province of Toledo and stated that the government would investigate potential failures in the rail system with utmost firmness. Sánchez noted that reinforcing safety and rebuilding trust in the high-speed rail network is essential, calling it unacceptable for a country to experience two high-speed rail accidents in the same year following a January derailment in the province of Córdoba that killed 46 people.
Political Parties Suspend Campaigns After National Tragedy
The tragedy struck just four weeks before a national election in Spain. Both main political parties suspended campaign activities, though the far-right Vox Party continued holding rallies. In the sporting world, La Liga postponed all 24 Copa del Rey matches scheduled for Wednesday. Unions blamed a lack of funding and political will for safety improvements, pointing out that government safety talks following January’s crash were abandoned in April.
Families and distraught relatives continued seeking news as forensics teams worked through the remaining identification process. Authorities indicated that further clarity on the exact train speed will emerge once investigators extract data from the train’s black box.