A high-speed train traveling toward Seville collided with a stationary passenger train in central Spain, killing at least 68 people and plunging the nation into shock, anger, and mourning following its second fatal railway disaster of the year.
The crash occurred near the town of Urda, located roughly 90 miles south of Madrid. The moving train, carrying nearly 400 passengers, slammed into a stationary train that had 147 people on board. The violent impact knocked both trains off the tracks and sheared at least one apart, leaving a scene of twisted steel across a rural field.
Passengers described sudden chaos as the collision disrupted their morning routines. Rafael Barcelo, a train passenger speaking through an interpreter, recounted the moments of impact. “We were having breakfast, having a coffee, and we felt a huge impact,” Barcelo said. “We were all thrown into the air. I am reasonably OK. My friend is quite worse.”
Survivors inside the stationary train looked through windows at the widespread destruction just outside, while emergency responders rushed to the scene. Firefighters and a military unit deployed to the crash site, digging by hand through shattered seats and crushed metal to search for victims. Meanwhile, family members gathered anxiously at the perimeter seeking information about missing relatives. One woman, speaking through an interpreter, expressed the agonizing uncertainty faced by families: “My husband was in the train that left Madrid, and we just rushed here as soon as we heard about the accident. We came here and no one tells us anything. I don’t know anything.”
Authorities confirmed that the incident is Spain’s deadliest rail accident in more than a decade. The tragedy follows another fatal crash in January on the same high-speed line, where a train operated by the same carrier derailed and struck another, resulting in 46 deaths. That earlier incident ignited a national debate regarding the adequacy of safety measures across Spain’s railway network.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez traveled to the accident site as national elections approach next month. Pledging a thorough investigation, Sanchez told reporters through an interpreter, “We are going to get to the bottom of this. If there were failures in the safety system, we will address them decisively.”
In response to the disaster, all high-speed rail service between Madrid and the southern province of Andalusia has been suspended. The collision deals a severe blow to a country that constructed one of the world’s most extensive high-speed rail networks on the promise of fast and secure intercity travel.
