Spanish authorities are under growing pressure to determine the cause of a fatal high-speed train collision that left at least 69 people dead near Urda, about 130 kilometers south of Madrid. The crash occurred on Wednesday morning when a Renfe-operated train struck the rear of a stationary Iryo train on the same track.
The death toll reached 69 after another victim's body was recovered overnight, Castilla-La Mancha regional president Emiliano García-Page said Thursday, adding that he did not expect further casualties to be found. Of nearly 200 injured, 18 remained in intensive care across various hospitals. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia visited the injured and met with medical staff and family members at Toledo University Hospital, with the king emphasizing the importance of supporting those affected and stressing the need to understand the causes and prevent a recurrence.
Investigators are examining a failure of a German-made automatic train protection system alongside potential errors made by the rail control center in Madrid. Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente described the decision to allow the Renfe train to resume running despite safety system issues as “inexplicable” and “wrong.”
Radio communication recordings reviewed by investigators and reported by Spanish media reveal that the Madrid control center instructed the Renfe train’s driver to resume normal operations even though the automatic protection system remained offline due to a computer malfunction. The driver sought confirmation but was told to proceed. Meanwhile, the Iryo train was reportedly stopped about 25 kilometers ahead.
Official sources cited by local newspapers suggest that under these conditions, the Renfe train should have been limited to a maximum speed of 40 kilometers per hour and proceed only as far as the driver had clear visibility of the track. However, public broadcaster RTVE reported that trains on this route are typically permitted to travel up to 200 kilometers per hour.
The Iryo train’s driver had also been instructed to maintain normal operations but indicated to controllers that the safety system restart had failed, compelling her to remain stopped before a signal at Urda. The control center responded by urging her to proceed “as soon as possible” and to contact them if problems arose. The Renfe train crashed into the stationary Iryo train roughly five minutes after resuming movement.
Investigators have not yet concluded whether human error factored into the collision or the extent of its impact. Meanwhile, train drivers staged a strike on Thursday demanding enhanced safety measures in the wake of the tragedy. The probe into the disaster continues as authorities seek to clarify the sequence of events that led to one of Spain’s deadliest rail accidents in recent years.