Dozens reported dead after Renfe AVE hits stopped Iryo train near Toledo

A Renfe AVE high-speed train ran into the back of a stopped Iryo train near Urda, in the province of Toledo, on Wednesday morning, derailing two Iryo cars and leaving a death toll that officials expect to rise. Spanish rail infrastructure manager Adif said the Madrid–Andalusia high-speed line was closed in both directions.

The collision happened at about 7:54am GMT (8:54am in Spain) at kilometre point 118 of the Madrid–Seville line, between Urda and the nearby towns of Mora and Orgaz, according to the regional 112 emergency service. Renfe said AVE 2080 hit Iryo 6076 at the entrance to Urda station. The two rear cars of the Iryo train derailed and fell down an embankment, RTVE and Europa Press reported.

Castilla-La Mancha government spokeswoman Esther Padilla said the Iryo train carried 146 passengers and a baby and the Renfe train 397 people, 544 in all. She confirmed at least 10 deaths in the first official count and said the number “will surely rise”. Later reports put the toll higher: RTVE and El País, citing regional government sources, said at least 30 had died, and the regional emergency service gave 39 (COPE, Europa Press). ABC and El Español, citing Civil Protection, reported at least 46 and then at least 50 dead, with more than 179 injured. None of these figures was an official consolidated count, and the numbers differ between sources. Spanish government sources told El País the toll could be worse than the Adamuz crash in January, which killed 46 people.

The regional government activated its emergency plan, Platecam, at about 8:15am GMT and later raised it to level 2. It asked for the Military Emergencies Unit (UME) and set up a field medical post. A sports hall in Urda was opened for survivors and relatives. Renfe opened a helpline for victims’ families on 900 101 020, and Adif set up assistance points at Madrid-Atocha, Seville-Santa Justa and Córdoba stations.

The cause has not been officially established. Government sources told El País and ABC that the likely cause was human error by an Adif operator after a failure of the line’s main LZB signalling system. According to those reports, about eight trains stopped when the system failed. Traffic was then restarted under manual control, but the Iryo train did not move off. The Atocha control centre then allegedly authorised the AVE to pass a red signal while the Iryo was still on the track. Investigators have not confirmed this account, and El Español reported that a link with the line’s migration to the European ERTMS system has not been established.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he was “shocked” and cancelled his schedule. Transport Minister Óscar Puente said he was at Adif’s control centre from about 8:40am GMT. Party leaders suspended campaigning for next month’s election. Spain’s royal household sent condolences to the victims’ families.

The crash is the second major rail accident in Spain this year. On 18 January, an Iryo train derailed at Adamuz, in Córdoba province, and a Renfe train hit it, killing 46 people.

Figures and times reported by Spanish media on Wednesday morning, to about 10:30am GMT. This story will be updated as official counts and investigation findings are published.