At Least 68 Killed in Spain High-Speed Train Crash After Train Stops on Tracks

Several Americans are believed to be among those injured in a high-speed train collision in Spain that killed at least 68 people Wednesday. The crash occurred when one train struck another that had stopped on the tracks.

The collision happened in Spain’s Castilla-La Mancha region. Regional officials confirmed the death toll and said 58 additional people were taken to hospitals for treatment. The State Department said several Americans are believed to have been injured.

Rescue crews continued searching the wreckage for survivors and victims as witnesses described a horrific scene.

The disaster marks Spain’s second high-speed rail crash of the year.

Rail operator ADIF said the crash occurred Wednesday morning in Toledo province. Both trains were carrying hundreds of passengers and traveling in the same direction on the route between Madrid and Seville.

A state-owned RENFE train struck the rear of a stopped IRYO train, operated by a private company, sending two IRYO cars off the tracks. The same companies were involved in a January crash.

Esther Padilla, a spokesperson for the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, said the RENFE train had 397 passengers aboard, while 147 people were traveling on the IRYO train.

Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente blamed what he called an “inexplicable” decision by the country’s central rail control center to allow a train to resume service after a safety system malfunctioned.

Puente said the train’s engineers were not at fault for the collision.

According to Puente, a computer failure disabled a safety system covering approximately 39 miles of track at around 8:30 a.m.

The outage brought trains in the affected area to a stop. However, Puente said the central control center later authorized the RENFE train to continue without imposing a speed restriction.

A little more than 20 minutes later, the RENFE train slammed into the stationary IRYO train.

Puente said the RENFE train should not have been cleared to proceed while a stop signal remained active. At the very least, he said, it should have been ordered to travel at a reduced speed.

Investigators have yet to establish how fast the train was traveling when it crashed, though Puente said its speed may have been about 124 mph.

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David Gómez, a construction worker, told the newspaper El País that he was working nearby with his brother and another colleague when they heard the crash and rushed to help.

“People were trying to get out through the windows.… We cut through some fences to access the area and treated people with the first-aid kits we had brought,” he said. “As I was trying to pull a young woman out, there was a piece of a leg.”

Spanish Health Minister Mónica García said emergency workers were focusing on rescuing survivors and bodies from the two most damaged train cars. She said the injured are being sent to different hospitals in the area.

“It was a high-speed impact, so we are expecting this to be a tragedy,” García said.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the crash site and announced that his government would declare three days of national mourning.

“Today all of Spain is grieving,” Sánchez said.

The prime minister also called for enhanced safety measures across the country’s rail system following the second high-speed rail crash this year.

“It is unacceptable for a country like Spain to suffer two high-speed rail accidents in the same year,” he said.

Passenger Ignacio Relaño was traveling on the RENFE train. He told state broadcaster TVE that the train had stopped momentarily on the line before it started again and then crashed into the IRYO.

“We all felt the train abruptly slowing down and then the impact,” he said. “The car leaned to one side like it was about to tip over. I hit my nose, everything went flying, luggage, cellphones. Everything shook.”

Another passenger recounted to Cadena Ser radio how she felt the train slam on the brakes and was thrown forward in her seat, breaking the small table in front of her. She said she saw body parts and trapped people covered in blood.

IRYO, an Italian-owned company, said in a statement that it has “activated its security protocols and is closely working with authorities.”

Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia said in a short statement on X that they were following news of the accident.

“We are deeply saddened and concerned by the train accident in Urda (Toledo),” the royal couple said. “We share in the grief of the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, and we send our heartfelt support to the injured and all those affected.”