10 killed as Madrid Seville trains collide
Two carriages derailed after a Renfe express struck a stationary Iryo service near Urda on Wednesday.
By Yasmin Nasser ·
Ten people lost their lives when two trains collided near Urda, a town in Toledo province south of Madrid, on Wednesday morning. Regional authorities confirmed the toll while noting that two carriages had left the tracks.
The incident occurred on the high-speed line connecting Madrid to Seville. Esther Padilla, a spokeswoman for the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, told public broadcaster TVE that the death count would surely rise. She explained that the trains were moving in the same direction before one struck the rear of the other, which had stopped.
The collision involved a Renfe AVE high-speed service traveling from Madrid to Seville and a train run by the private operator Iryo. Padilla stated that 397 passengers were on board the Renfe train, while 147 were on the Iryo service. Sources cited by El Pais reported that two Iryo carriages fell down an embankment during the crash.
Local officials mobilized quickly to manage the aftermath. Manuel Galan, the mayor of Urda, said civil protection authorities requested that the town prepare a sports pavilion to shelter the affected individuals. Firefighters from surrounding towns rushed to the scene, accompanied by three medical helicopters and two mobile intensive care units. Jose Luis Martínez-Almeida, the mayor of Madrid, announced on X that the capital was sending additional emergency medical teams and firefighters to assist.
National leaders reacted to the event. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote on X that he was shocked by the incident. He confirmed he was in contact with Transport Minister Oscar Puente and Emiliano Garcia-Page, the regional president of Castilla-La Mancha, as rescue crews continued their work. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also posted on X, stating that the Italian consulate in Madrid was checking for citizens among the affected and was ready to provide aid.
Rail infrastructure operator ADIF suspended high-speed services between Madrid and the Andalusia region. The Civil Guard dispatched a specialist disaster investigation team to the site. The cause of the collision has not yet been established. This accident occurred nine months after a derailment near Adamuz in southern Spain killed 45 people, which was the country's deadliest rail accident since 2013.
