In brief
A collision between a Renfe and an Iryo high‑speed train near Urda in Toledo province has killed at least 68 people and injured many, including two South Korean nationals who sustained minor injuries. Spanish authorities are probing signalling failures and possible negligence, while the nation has declared three days of mourning.
Two South Korean nationals were among the hundreds injured when a Renfe high‑speed train struck a stationary Iryo carriage near Urda, a small town in Spain’s Toledo province, on Wednesday evening. The collision, reportedly involving more than 500 passengers, has claimed at least 68 lives and left roughly 100 people wounded.
The Korean foreign ministry confirmed that one passenger suffered only minor injuries and was discharged after treatment, while the other remains hospitalized, according to a statement released Thursday. The ministry said it was maintaining close communication with Spanish authorities and continuing to look for any additional Korean casualties.
Al Jazeera reported that the crash derailed two carriages and that more than 80 passengers were injured, 50 of them seriously and 15 critically, with some likely not surviving the emergency evacuation to hospitals across the region. The incident happened on the high‑speed line linking Madrid and Seville, which passes through Castilla‑La Mancha.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez spoke from Urda, declaring a three‑day period of national mourning from October 29 to 31. “Spain is in mourning,” he said, adding that the government would investigate any negligence or system failures. “If there was negligence, it will be revealed, and if there were system failures, there will be a strong response.”
In a separate UPI interview, Sánchez emphasized the national grief, stating, “Today the whole of Spain is grieving. Lives have been shattered, families have been torn apart, the pain is immense.” King Felipe VI also expressed sorrow, noting his shared grief for the families of those who lost their lives.
Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente has highlighted technical issues that may have contributed to the incident. He noted that a computer failure initially halted six moving trains, including the two involved, on a 40‑mile stretch of track. “In the event of a system failure, the control center takes over,” Puente explained. He added that the control center decided to allow the Renfe train to resume movement without speed restrictions, despite a remaining red signal, causing the collision with the stationary Iryo train.
These remarks have sparked criticism from the CSIF trade union, which called for Puente’s resignation after his comments about “explainable circumstances.” The union said it had previously warned about “excess hours in Adif’s working days.”
Renfe announced that services would remain suspended between Madrid and Andalusia as crews worked overnight to locate injured passengers. Iryo described its carriage as “struck from behind” by the Renfe train, citing causes that were still unknown at the time of reporting. Spanish authorities have begun a formal investigation into potential signalling failures and regulatory negligence.
Esther Padilla, a spokeswoman for the regional government of Castilla‑La Mancha, said the trains had been traveling in the same direction when one collided into the rear of the other, which had stopped at a red light. She also noted that the incident was being examined in the context of the other train accident that occurred earlier in January, but that the causes appeared unrelated.
More than 200 members of the Military Emergencies Unit are present at the site, with local councils gathering supplies for the affected community. Journalist Graham Keeley described the crash as arriving “at an awful time” for the Spanish government, given an upcoming election, and recalled the earlier January incident where the government pledged to improve safety checks across the network.
As investigations continue, Spanish authorities remain focused on clarifying whether human error, signalling failure, or systemic negligence caused the tragedy. The nation’s response, including its declaration of mourning and the international attention drawn by the injuries to Korean nationals, underscores the magnitude of the disaster.
