Susanna Riva On the Urda stretch, approximately 118 km from the city of Toledo, two high-speed trains collided at 08:54 a.m., causing Spain's worst rail disaster in recent months. The official toll stands at 68 dead and 107 injured , 18 of whom are in critical condition. Among the passengers involved are three Italian citizens whose condition is still uncertain, while five other Italians have been extracted in stable condition.
Fatalities and victim profiles
Preliminary investigations show that the two trains, a Renfe Ave and an FS International Iryo , were carrying a total of more than 540 people. The former, traveling at approximately 200 km/h, struck the latter, which was stopped due to a signaling system fault. The victims included adults, children, and even an infant, confirming the seriousness of the collision.
Health authorities have begun counting the victims and identifying the bodies, a process that is expected to take several days.
The three Italians among the missing
According to the Farnesina, three female passengers from different regions of Italy are now classified as "missing." Two of them may have been involved in the most destroyed section of the carriages, while the third was reported missing from the passenger register.
An Italian citizen is currently hospitalized in Toledo, in stable condition.
Rescue operations on the ground
Since the night of the tragic accident , emergency workers have been operating under powerful floodlights to cut through the metal shells of the convoys and access the interior. In addition to firefighters and volunteers, Civil Guard drones and helicopters were deployed to quickly locate victims buried under the rubble. Operators faced adverse weather conditions, which made the excavation process more difficult.
The Spanish Ministry of the Interior announced the deployment of hundreds of rescuers, including emergency behavior specialists and advanced medical personnel. The search for still unidentified bodies continued for several hours, with the aid of search dogs trained to detect human traces through the twisted metal.
Causes, investigations and institutional reactions
According to initial reports from Transport Minister Oscar Puente, at 08:30 a.m., a series of failures in the network's three communication computers disabled the LZB safety system along a 63-kilometer stretch. This malfunction automatically stopped the six trains present, but the ADIF control center in Atocha then authorized the Renfe train to restart, despite the Iryo being still blocked. Human error in issuing the green signal allowed the train to travel 25 km in 17 minutes, culminating in the collision at maximum speed.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the accident site alongside the president of the Regional Government of Castile-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, declaring three days of national mourning and calling for a thorough investigation to determine any negligence . Meanwhile, the train drivers' union, Semaf, called a 24-hour strike starting at midnight, demanding compliance with the commitments made to Renfe and Adif regarding network safety.
Train drivers' strike
The union justified the planned overnight suspension of train services as a response to delays in implementing safety measures agreed upon after the previous Adamuz disaster, which occurred nine months earlier and killed 46 people. Semaf representatives emphasized that maintenance measures have not yet been completed, raising doubts about the network's ability to ensure safe travel . Renfe, for its part, has suspended ticket sales on the Madrid-Seville route until December 13.
The investigation, still ongoing, involves reconstructing communications between the control center and the train drivers, analyzing on-board logs, and reviewing the operating procedures adopted during the LZB system shutdown. The final outcome will establish legal and technical responsibilities, but for now, the priority remains providing assistance to the victims and supporting the affected families.