Ten dead in high-speed train crash in Spain

October 28, 2026 — 8:51pmLondon: Two trains have collided on a high-speed line in central Spain in a crash that has killed at least 10 people, with authorities warning the number is expected to rise.One train crashed into the rear of the other just after 9am local time on the line south of Madrid, forcing at least three carriages off the tracks and down an embankment.The scene of a collision between two trains in Urda, Spain.Juanma Jiménez/Europa Press via APSpain’s rail system operator ADIF said the crash occurred on Wednesday morning in the province of Toledo. Rail service was suspended between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia.Esther Padilla, spokeswoman for the Castilla La Mancha region, said that authorities can confirm 10 deaths, but that “that number will surely rise.”Padilla told state broadcaster TVE that the accident was between two high-speed trains heading in the same direction and that one ran into the tail of the other while it was stopped, knocking two of its cars off the track.Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on X that he was “shocked” by the “serious train accident”.“Emergency services are working on the ground to assist those affected and ensure their safety, in coordination with all the involved administrations,” he wrote.“My affection, solidarity and support to all the victims and their families.”The collision comes nine months after an accident between high-speed trains belonging to the same operators on the same line.In January, 45 people died in southern Spain when a train jumped the track and hit an oncoming train. The crash was the deadliest in Spain since a 2013 crash that killed 80 people.Spanish newspaper El Pais reported a government source saying Wednesday’s crash could be worse than the accident in January.“The government confirms that there are many dead in the train accident and points to human error,” the newspaper said.Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has clashed at times with Sanchez on migration policy, sent a message of sympathy to Spain.“In these such difficult hours, the Italian Government is close to Spain and the Spanish people for the dramatic railway accident that occurred near Toledo,” she wrote on X.“My thoughts and those of our entire government go to the families of the victims, to the injured, and to all those who are working tirelessly in the rescue operations.”More to comeWith AP, ReutersGet a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.David Crowe is Europe correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.From our partners