Death toll in Spain high-speed train crash near Toledo rises to 30

Latest collision comes nine months after another deadly train crash on the same line that killed 46 people

At least 30 people were killed when two high-speed trains collided in Spain on Wednesday, the second deadly accident in less than a year on the line connecting Madrid to the southern Andalusia region, regional authorities said.

Footage from regional Castilla-La Mancha Television showed a derailed train with at least one carriage remaining on an elevated section of track while twisted metal, broken panels and wreckage could be seen strewn across an embankment beneath the line.

⚠️ PLATECAM ⚠️:

⏰ 28/10/2026 a las 09:15 horas. Toledo

📝 Activado el PLATECAM en fase de Emergencia Situación Operativa 1 en Toledo como consecuencia de un accidente ferroviario ocurrido en Urda.

Más información: https://t.co/2P9t9rtJZp pic.twitter.com/b0b0OmaFxh

— 112 Castilla-La Mancha (@112clm) October 28, 2026

Miguel, a passenger travelling with several colleagues in the rear car of one of the trains, described to COPE radio the moment of the accident.

"We heard a massive roar, a truly enormous thud that went on for 10 seconds, as if the train were about to derail. Through the right-hand window, we could see a wrecked train – I imagine it must have been the other one," he said.

Castilla-La Mancha regional government said the death toll had risen to 30 from 10 after earlier warning it could rise.

🤝 Ante el accidente ferroviario en la provincia de #Toledo la Secretaría General de @proteccioncivil y Emergencias está siguiendo la evolución de la emergencia en contacto permanente con los equipos de Protección Civil de Castilla-La Mancha @112clm. pic.twitter.com/qAoxdgiqcD

— Ministerio del Interior (@interiorgob) October 28, 2026

The collision comes nine months after an accident between high-speed trains belonging to the same operators on the same line that killed 46 people.

That crash in January, which occurred after a train derailed and smashed into an oncoming train near Adamuz, in Cordoba province, triggered a debate about the level of investment in railway maintenance in recent years.