Toledo train crash toll reaches at least 30, government sources cite operator error after signalling failure

Since a Renfe AVE train struck the rear of a stopped Iryo train near Urda in Toledo province on the morning of Oct. 28, the confirmed death toll has risen from 10 to at least 30, according to the Castilla-La Mancha regional government. A spokesperson for the region told ABC News the number is expected to go higher.

Other figures are circulating. One account attributes to Spain's Civil Protection a count of 46 dead and 178 injured. Spanish media cited by the Times of India reported at least 50 dead. Neither number matches the regional government's statement, and officials have not confirmed them.

A government source quoted by El País said the crash "could be worse than Adamuz," the January rail disaster in Córdoba province. That accident killed 45 people by the count of CBS News and Euronews. It was the deadliest in Spain since the 2013 crash that killed 80.

What government sources say caused it

The first official attempt at an explanation came from government sources speaking to El País. They said: "A human error by an Adif operator in response to a malfunction in the main signaling system is the likely cause of the accident."

Adif is Spain's state-owned rail infrastructure company.

According to those sources, the automated safety system failed and the line switched to manual operation. Trains halted. Service then resumed under human control, and that is where the error is believed to have happened.

The Week reported that traffic was running under Lateral Signal Blocking (BSL) because of a failure in the LZB system. The LZB is the system that provides full safety guarantees on the line.

El País, as relayed by the Times of India, also reported a preliminary account that an operator at Madrid's Atocha control centre told the Renfe train to proceed even though the Iryo train was on the track. Spain's government has not officially established the cause. Investigators are still working.

Questions from the rail sector

The explanation has met some skepticism from people in the industry. Rafael Escudero, spokesperson for the Railway Union, called the accident "very unusual" in an interview with Antena 3 radio. He said there is no passenger stop in that stretch, traffic is monitored in real time, and a train receives live information on track conditions. In his description, a train that detects an obstacle such as another train would stop.

José María Goicolea Ruigómez of the Association of Civil Engineers told El Correo: "We are speculating." He offered one possible explanation but acknowledged it was unconfirmed.

The Week also reported that the Renfe train hit the Iryo at more than 100 kilometres per hour. That detail has not been confirmed by officials.

Victims, missing and the scene

Spanish media reported that a trainee railway worker who had been missing after the crash has been confirmed dead. They said the driver of the AVE train remains unaccounted for. Officials have not issued a formal statement on either.

The Renfe train carried 397 passengers. The Iryo train carried 147, according to regional spokeswoman Esther Padilla. Spain's Transport Ministry gave 146 for Iryo, including one baby.

Two Iryo carriages derailed and fell down an embankment. Emergency crews responded with three medical helicopters and two mobile intensive care units, according to El Mundo. A military emergency unit was also deployed. The mayor of Urda, Manuel Galán, said civil protection authorities asked the town to prepare a sports pavilion for those affected.

Madrid is sending emergency medical teams and firefighters, Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida said on X. Health Minister Mónica García said the government is "mobilizing all the resources at our disposal." Regional president Emiliano García-Page said he was on his way to the site.

Political and travel fallout

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez cancelled his engagements. Spain's government and opposition both cancelled their Wednesday schedules, according to El País. Sánchez said on X he was in contact with Transport Minister Óscar Puente and García-Page.

Adif suspended traffic on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed line, and Renfe suspended service between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia. Iryo cancelled every service leaving Madrid-Puerta de Atocha on the Southern Corridor and said it has no estimate for when service will resume. Crowds gathered at Atocha and at Seville's Santa Justa station amid cancellations.

This is Spain's second major high-speed rail disaster of 2026. The January accident had already shaken public confidence in the network, according to CBS News. Investigators are expected to focus first on what happened after the signalling failure and who gave the order for the Renfe train to move. The final casualty count and the AVE driver's fate remain open.