Spain mourns as death toll in Toledo high-speed train crash reportedly rises to 69

Spain began three days of national mourning on Thursday, 29 October 2026, after a high-speed train reportedly ran into the back of a stationary train near the town of Urda in the central province of Toledo on Wednesday. The regional leader of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, said the death toll had risen to 69 after another body was found overnight.
What happened
According to reports, the moving train struck the stationary one from behind, and three carriages came off the tracks. On Thursday morning, rescue teams with sniffer dogs were still searching the wreckage, while cranes lifted carriages and police officers and soldiers combed the site. The number of people injured has not been confirmed in the reports seen so far, and the cause of the collision has not been announced.
What the government said
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the scene and promised a full investigation as well as safety improvements on the railways. He reportedly said Spain must strengthen train safety to win back public trust in high-speed rail, and said it was unacceptable for the country to suffer two high-speed accidents in a single year.
Background
The crash is Spain's second deadly high-speed rail disaster of 2026. In January, a train derailed near Adamuz in Andalusia and collided with a train coming the other way, killing dozens of people the first deadly accident on a Spanish high-speed train since the network opened in 1992. Spain has one of the largest high-speed rail systems in the world, and both disasters have raised hard questions about maintenance and signalling.
What happens next
Investigators are expected to examine the signalling and the movements of both trains in the hours before the crash. Further updates on the victims and the injured are expected as families are informed.
- The regional leader says 69 people have died; the cause has not been announced.
- Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has promised an investigation and safety improvements.
- It is Spain's second deadly high-speed rail crash of 2026.



