68 Dead as Spain Orders Three Days of Mourning After Second Train Crash

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the crash site in Toledo province after a RENFE high-speed train struck a stationary IRYO train from behind near the town of Urda, killing 68 people. The collision occurred on Wednesday morning, four weeks before the country's national election. Sánchez's government declared three days of mourning starting Thursday.

Óscar Puente, Spain's transport minister, attributed the crash to an order he called "inexplicable" issued by the country's central train command center. Puente said a computer malfunction disabled a security system covering a 63 kilometer stretch of track at 8:30 a.m., forcing trains to stop. The IRYO train halted near Urda, with the RENFE train 25 kilometers behind it. Minutes later, the command center directed the RENFE train to proceed without speed restrictions while a stop signal remained active, and it collided with the IRYO train at 8:53 a.m. Puente said the train engineers were not to blame.

This was Spain's second high-speed rail fatality this year. In January, 46 people died when a train derailed and struck an oncoming train in the south of the country. Spain's high-speed network ranks second worldwide in track mileage behind China, and had recorded no deadly crashes since entering service more than three decades ago. The system carried 45 million travelers last year. Spain opened its high-speed market to competition in 2021, and the Italian operator IRYO began service the following year. Both 2026 crashes involved one RENFE train and one IRYO train.

Sánchez said the country must act after two crashes in one year. "It is not acceptable for a country like Spain to endure two high-speed train accidents in the same year," he said, adding that he would pursue an investigation and safety improvements. About an hour before news of the crash spread, Sánchez had posted on X that "There are lots of reasons to be optimistic about this country."

Polls show Sánchez facing an uphill race in Spain's first national election since 2023. He had called early elections earlier this month, aiming to turn attention to housing costs and high rents. He now also faces criticism from right-wing parties over migration policy, along with corruption accusations against his party and his wife that both deny. Puente was asked whether he would resign after a second major wreck on his watch; he said he was focused on the collision response.

Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the Popular Party, called for a full investigation and said his party canceled campaign events for the day. "This is the moment to respect the dead, the injured and their families," Núñez Feijóo said, adding that "Spaniards are asking tough questions that demand answers." Santiago Abascal of the far-right Vox party said, "I promise to work tirelessly until this government, which is a criminal organization, is sitting in a courtroom to answer for its crimes."

Hundreds of emergency workers, firefighters, police and soldiers worked through Wednesday to rescue survivors and recover bodies. Late that day, crews began using cranes to move sections of the damaged trains. Workers continued clearing the site on Thursday, the first of the three mourning days declared by the government.