Two high-speed trains collided on Wednesday morning (28) in the province of Toledo, in central Spain, in an accident whose death toll rose through the day. In the morning, Ester Padilla, spokeswoman for the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha, confirmed at least ten deaths, according to Brazilian outlet G1. By early afternoon, O Globo had updated the toll to at least 39 dead, and Portugal's Diário de Notícias was reporting 46. The cause of the collision is still under investigation.
The crash happened just after 9 a.m. local time, between the towns of Mora and Orgaz, and involved a train operated by Renfe, Spain's state railway, and another run by Iryo, a private company competing in the Spanish high-speed market. Two cars derailed and tumbled down an embankment, according to O Globo. Footage from regional broadcaster Castilla-La Mancha Televisión showed debris scattered below the line and at least one car still on the elevated stretch of track. Rail service between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia, in the south of the country, was suspended.
For Brazil, the immediate question is whether any Brazilians are among the victims. Spain hosts one of the largest Brazilian communities in Europe, and the affected line is one of the country's main rail corridors, linking the capital to the south. As of this writing, there was no official confirmation of Brazilian nationals among the dead or injured, and the total number of injured was still being counted.
Rescue effort and political reaction
Manuel Galán, mayor of Urda, a town near the crash site, said emergency services asked him to prepare a sports gym to receive the wounded, and the regional government activated its emergency plan. In Madrid, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez canceled his schedule for the day and wrote on the social network X: "I am shocked by the serious train accident in Toledo. My affection, solidarity and support to all the victims and their families". The opposition Popular Party (PP) also suspended all campaign events.
The accident hits a sector Spain holds up as a showcase. The country spent three decades building its high-speed network, now the most extensive in Europe, and opened the market to private competition in 2022, when Iryo, controlled by Italian state railway Trenitalia, began operating and ended Renfe's decades-long monopoly on fast lines. Investigators will now determine whether there was human, technical or signaling failure, an answer that matters to the operators and to Adif, the manager of Spain's rail infrastructure.
With rescue work still under way and the cause unknown, Spanish authorities gave no timeline for reopening the line, and the death toll may rise in the coming hours.