At least 69 people have died and many more remain missing following a high-speed train collision near the town of Urda, approximately 87 miles south of Madrid, Spain. The crash occurred on Wednesday morning when a Renfe-operated train traveling from Madrid to Seville collided with a stationary Iryo service train at around 8:53 a.m.
The Iryo train, which had stopped due to a signal failure, was struck from behind by the Renfe train while both were on the same stretch of high-speed rail. Leaked audio recordings from the railway control center indicated that controllers instructed all trains in the area to proceed at normal speeds despite the Iryo train’s inability to move. The Renfe train, reportedly traveling between 160 and 200 kilometers per hour, was unable to stop in time. The accident also involved four other trains on the line, though no further collisions were reported.
Among the victims were a 41-year-old molecular biologist from Cambridge, England, Marta Shahbazi, her family, two Renfe train drivers, and a 24-year-old athlete, as well as a former government minister. Shahbazi was traveling with her husband and two children to Seville, where she was scheduled to receive an award for her work on in vitro fertilization. Her brother confirmed her death on Friday after days of searching in hospitals and emergency facilities.
Local residents in Urda, a town of roughly 2,500 people, were among the first to respond, assisting survivors and transporting the injured to hospitals in nearby Toledo. The town's school gymnasium has been converted into a refuge for displaced families, while community members have opened their homes to railway staff, charity workers, and victim relatives.
Authorities have formally identified only 13 of the fatalities as of Friday, while the Civil Guard received 72 missing person reports. Despite extensive search efforts, only five missing passengers have been located, with most either in hospitals or confirmed absent from the train.
The disaster has prompted a three-day national mourning period and sparked political tensions in Spain, which is preparing for a general election later this month. The incident adds to a series of crises faced by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s administration, which include severe wildfires and political scandals. Opposition parties have criticized the government’s handling of rail safety.
This crash also raises concerns following a similar high-speed train accident in Adamuz nine months ago, which resulted in 46 deaths due to a defective track section. Recent investigations cited failure of the LZB safety system, designed to manage train speeds and prevent collisions, as a contributing factor. When the system failed in the Urda incident, manual control was expected to prevent disaster but reportedly did not.
Spain operates Europe’s largest high-speed rail network, spanning approximately 4,000 kilometers, and invests heavily in expansion. However, maintenance spending has reportedly lagged behind comparable networks in Italy, Germany, and France.
Transport Minister Oscar Puente has faced calls for resignation amid public outcry. He has attributed the crash to human error, despite evidence pointing to systemic failures within the rail operator Adif, which manages infrastructure and safety systems. Family members of victims have condemned what they describe as a combination of incompetence, corruption, and organizational chaos contributing to the tragedy.
Emergency responders continue to assist survivors and provide psychological support to the bereaved as investigations into the cause of the collision proceed.