69 dead after high-speed train collision near Toledo

At least 69 people died and 180 were injured when two high-speed trains collided in central Spain, marking the second fatal rail accident in the country this year. The crash occurred Wednesday near Toledo, disrupting service on the network that serves as the world's second-largest high-speed rail system. Authorities confirmed the toll as families gathered at a local religious center to coordinate their search for missing loved ones.

The collision involved a RENFE train and an Iryo train. The Iryo train had stopped on the tracks when the RENFE vehicle struck it. César Vicente, an actor from Seville, traveled 307 miles to Toledo to find his father, who was seated in 13A on the RENFE train. He spent the night at a base set up for affected families, describing the wait as unbearable.

"I have my father, and I don’t know where he is. I hope to find him, oh my Lord," Vicente said. He added that the situation was hell for those waiting for news. His mother and aunt were also searching for him. The family walked outside in the cold morning air, joining others who braved the weather to look for signs of their relatives.

Relatives turned to social media for information. Alejandra Marroquín posted on Instagram that her sister Adriana was in car 8 of the RENFE train, wearing dark blue clothes. The family could not reach Adriana by phone. "We’re still praying, we don’t know anything," Marroquín wrote on Thursday morning. Search teams using sniffer dogs continued to comb the area for victims.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez addressed reporters on Thursday morning. He stated that the government was working to support victims' families and investigate the cause of the crash. Sánchez said the goal was to strengthen security to prevent similar accidents. "The entire government is working to respond to the victims’ families, shed light on the tragedy, and strengthen security so that this never happens again," he said.

This incident follows a January disaster in southern Spain where 46 people died. In that crash, one train jumped the track and hit another moving in the opposite direction. Before 2026, the high-speed network had operated without a deadly crash for over three decades. The network is considered a major infrastructure achievement in Spain.

In Urda, a town of 2,500 people south of Madrid, residents rushed to help immediately after the crash. They assisted injured passengers and prepared food for those who walked away. David Gómez, a construction worker, was nearby with his brother and a colleague when they heard the impact. They cut through fences to reach the tracks and treated people with first-aid kits until emergency crews arrived. "People were trying to get out through the windows .. We cut through some fences to access the area and treated people with the first-aid kits we had brought until emergency services arrived," Gómez told the newspaper El País.

Authorities mobilized 1,300 emergency service personnel. More than 2,000 volunteers stepped forward in the Castilla-La Mancha region alone. Regional President Emiliano García-Page thanked the volunteers and the emergency responders. He noted an all-time record number of blood donations in response to the 110 patients hospitalized. "I want to express my personal and very sincere gratitude to everyone who has stepped up, starting with the all-time record number of donations," García-Page said.

Investigations into the cause of the collision are ongoing. The state of the tracks and the operational status of the Iryo train remain key points of inquiry. Families continue to wait for updates from authorities on the condition of the injured and the status of the missing.