Photo: Collected
The death toll from a head-on collision between two high-speed trains in the southern part of the Spanish capital Madrid has risen to 64. Regional authorities say rescue work is still under way and the number of dead is feared to rise further.
The horrific accident happened shortly after 9am local time on Wednesday at a spot between the Mora and Orgaz areas of Toledo province, south of Madrid.
Emiliano García-Page, head of the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha, spoke to journalists at the scene. He said, ‘So far we have received information of about 64 deaths, but this number may rise further.’ Initially, 31 deaths had been reported.
Spain’s main rail infrastructure operator ‘Adif’ said a train of the state rail company Renfe collided with a train of the private transport company Iryo. The Iryo train was running on the Madrid-Seville route.
According to the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, there were a total of 544 adult passengers and one child on the two trains at the time of the accident.
Immediately after the accident, all trains on the route were held at various nearby stations for safety reasons and rail services were temporarily suspended. Although an investigation has begun into why the two high-speed trains collided head-on, the exact cause is not yet known.
Background
Spain has already seen another major rail accident this year. According to a 23 February 2026 report by CTIF, the international association for fire and rescue services, on 18 January an Iryo high-speed train derailed near Adamuz in the Andalusian province of Córdoba and a Renfe Alvia train on the adjacent line slammed into it. Forty-six people were killed and 292 injured in that accident.
Sources
Original report: Ajker Patrika
Background sources: CTIF, 23 February 2026
