68 Dead After Two High-Speed Trains Collide in Spain
Spanish authorities are blaming a signaling failure for the Oct. 28 crash, while parishes near Toledo mobilize aid for the injured.
By Alina Campbell ·
Two high-speed trains carrying a total of 544 people collided just before 9 a.m. on Oct. 28 between Urda and Los Yébenes, near Toledo. By early afternoon Eastern time, officials had counted 68 dead and hundreds injured, with the toll expected to climb. Spanish transport minister Óscar Puente attributed the crash to human error, saying a decision to let trains proceed at full speed after a signaling failure was "inexplicable."
Emergency crews from fire stations in Alcázar de San Juan and Orgaz, Civil Protection units from surrounding towns, medical helicopters and mobile intensive care units worked the scene. Parish priest José Miguel Fernández of Urda was in meetings at the Archdiocese of Toledo when the crash occurred and returned to Urda immediately. He contacted the town's mayor and offered parish facilities for relief work, along with the local Caritas chapter. "The first thing is to offer them encouragement and show them the support of the Church, the comfort of God," Fernández told Spanish Catholic media Alfa y Omega.
The Spanish bishops' conference issued "condolences and closeness to the families of the victims" and said bishops prayed for the eternal rest of the dead and the recovery of the injured. Archbishop Francisco Cerro of Toledo and Auxiliary Bishop César García Magán said their archdiocesan Caritas branch, plus the parishes of Urda and Los Yébenes, were available to families needing help. Bishop Ginines García Beltrán of Getafe and Archbishop José Ángel Saiz Meneses of Seville, where the trains were headed, also issued prayers and messages of support.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia posted on X that they share the grief of families and loved ones and send best wishes to the injured. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the country was "in mourning." Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni wrote that her government stands with Spain, while Uruguay's and Jordan's foreign ministries sent condolences. The collision is the third major rail accident in Spain this year, following a January crash near Adamuz that killed more than 40 and a derailment near Barcelona days later.
