Spain declares three days of mourning after high‑speed train crash kills 68

Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has declared three days of national mourning following a collision between two high‑speed trains that killed at least 68 people.

The crash occurred on Wednesday morning on the Madrid‑Seville line in the province of Toledo, Castilla‑La Mancha. One train ran into the rear of a stopped train, derailing two carriages and scattering debris across fields between the towns of Urda and Los Yébenes.

Initial reports listed 10 fatalities, but the death toll rose as the situation developed, with the state news agency EFE confirming 68 deaths and 73 injured, 15 of them in serious condition. The two trains were operated by state‑owned RENFE (397 passengers) and private Italian‑owned IRYO (147 passengers). The cause of the collision is still unknown.

Emergency services, including a military emergency brigade, firefighters and police, worked at the scene to rescue survivors and recover bodies. Injured passengers were taken to local hospitals. The mayor of Urda, Manuel Galan, arranged a sports pavilion to house those needing care.

Rail services were suspended between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia. Sánchez cancelled his schedule, posted on X expressing his “dismay” and solidarity with victims, while health minister Mónica García and regional president Emiliano García‑Page coordinated the response.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: GOWTHAM AGM / Pexels.