Following the serious train crash near Urda in the province of Toledo the death toll has risen to 69. This was announced by Emiliano García-Page, president of the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha, on the morning of 29 October after a meeting of the Centro de Coordinación Operativa Integrada in Toledo. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez attended the briefing and announced a comprehensive investigation.
García-Page put the number of injured people admitted to hospital at 110. Of these, 60 had since been discharged, while 50 remained in hospital – with “varying degrees of concern”. Of the 15 seriously injured people in the so-called “Código rojo”, four were showing positive progress, the regional president said.
The crash occurred on 28 October between Los Yébenes and Urda station. According to the companies involved, trains operated by Renfe and Iryo were involved. Both operators promptly provided information for relatives. At the scene, alongside the civilian emergency services, the Unidad Militar de Emergencias and personnel from the Guardia Civil were also deployed. The authorities reported a broadly coordinated response involving numerous teams and specialist equipment.
The central government promised a full investigation. The Transport Ministry launched an inquiry that same evening; technical analyses into the cause of the collision are under way. Forensic teams are working to identify the victims. Sánchez also held out the prospect of reviewing and, if necessary, strengthening safety procedures for high-speed rail. The government made no specific conclusions, citing the ongoing investigations.
The regional government of Castilla-La Mancha declared three days of mourning. García-Page expressly thanked the volunteers and regional, provincial and national services for their efforts. Support centres, information phone lines and DNA collection procedures were set up for relatives.
The latest casualty figures, details of the emergency response and initial political reactions were communicated by the regional government and confirmed by reports from the EFE news agency and public broadcaster RTVE. Renfe reported in a statement that one of its high-speed trains was involved. Detailed information about the cause and responsibility is subject to further investigation.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).