Spain’s deadliest train crash in over a decade killed 69 people after a high-speed Renfe train struck a stationary Iryo train near Urda in Toledo province on Wednesday morning.

The collision occurred at 8:53 a.m. local time on the Madrid-Seville line, where a computer malfunction had disabled the automated safety system, halting all trains on a 40-mile stretch. Transport Minister Óscar Puente said the control center then cleared the Renfe train to proceed at normal speed despite a stop signal and the presence of the Iryo train ahead, calling the decision "inexplicable." Audio recordings published by *El País* show controllers instructing the Renfe driver to continue at normal speed, though protocols required a maximum of 40 km/h to allow for emergency stops. The Renfe train, carrying 397 passengers, traveled 25 km before colliding with the Iryo train at an estimated 160–200 km/h.

Among the dead are former Employment Minister Fátima Báñez, 24-year-old long jumper Julieta Gallego, and Renfe driver Antonio Acedo Meneses. At least 42 foreign citizens from seven countries were on the trains, with one confirmed fatality and seven injured. Fifty-seven injured remain hospitalized, while families have provided DNA samples to identify victims, with bodies taken to a forensics institute in Toledo. Military and police deployed over 800 personnel, 200 vehicles, helicopters, drones, and search dogs to the scene, where a 2 km exclusion zone was established.

Unions blame systemic underfunding and abandoned safety talks after a January crash on the same line. SEMAF union representative Diego Martín said drivers would continue striking to demand necessary safety measures, stating, "We cannot tolerate, under any circumstances, this type of incident happening again." The government declared three days of national mourning, while King Felipe VI visited injured victims in Toledo, urging authorities to explain the causes and prevent future tragedies. A judge in Toledo secured the trains’ black boxes and control center records for the investigation.

The crash has disrupted campaigning for Spain’s November 29 snap election, with major party leaders suspending events. Protesters in Madrid demanded the resignations of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Puente, accusing them of neglecting rail safety.