Spain train crash kills at least 68 as witnesses describe devastating scenes

• Deadly rail crash: Scores of people have been killed and about 100 injured after a high-speed train collided with a stationary train. Spain’s transport minister called it “inexplicable” that a train was allowed to continue its journey despite a red signal being in place.

• ‘People were hurled into the air ’: Several witnesses told CNN about the chaotic moment when passengers were thrown airborne during the collision. Rescue operations are still under and the high-speed line linking Madrid with Andalusia remains suspended.

• Third train crash this year: This is the third rail disaster in Spain in 2026. In January, two high-speed trains collided near Adamuz , in southern Spain’s Córdoba province, killing more than 40 people. A commuter train near Barcelona derailed days later.

“Several” US citizens were injured in the train crash in Spain, a US State Department spokesperson told CNN.

They did not provide specific details on the number of Americans hurt in Wednesday’s deadly train crash, which has killed at least 68 people.

“The Department of State and the US Embassy in Madrid are working closely with local authorities to assist Americans following the train collision,” the spokesperson said. “We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of all those affected.”

CNN saw US embassy officials at the scene of the collision in Spain’s Toledo province.

The spokesperson noted that Americans in need of consular assistance, or with concerns about American loved ones in Spain, can contact the State Department 24/7 at +1-202-501-4444 from abroad or +1-888-407-4747 from the US and Canada.

“We encourage US citizens in the area to notify loved ones of their safety and monitor local media for updates,” they said.

Spain’s King Felipe VI has conveyed his condolences over today’s deadly train crash in the Spanish province of Toledo, saying he shares in the “sorrow of the families and loved ones” of the deceased.

The social media post said the royal family’s support goes out to the emergency teams involved in the recovery effort and “all those working in the area to help as much as possible under these circumstances.”

CNN’s Duarte Mendonca contributed reporting.

After a host of European leaders offered their condolences for the victims of the deadly train crash in Spain this morning, other international leaders are also expressing their solidarity today.

Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla sent his country’s “deepest condolences” to the people of Spain, “especially to the families and loved ones of the victims.”

Uruguay ’s Foreign Ministry sent its “deepest condolences to the families of the victims, to the Government and the Spanish people.”

Jordan’s Foreign Ministry expressed “solidarity and full support with the government and people of Spain,” offering “condolences to the families of the victims and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.”

The Palestinian Authority in Ramallah also said it extends “its warmest condolences and sincere sympathy to the families” of those affected by the collision.

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry expressed “solidarity” toward Spain’s “painful affliction” after the incident.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he is “profoundly grieved by the devastating train collision,” sending his condolences to those affected by it. “Pakistan stands with Spain in its hour of sorrow,” he said .

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar offered his country’s “solidarity and most sincere condolences” to those affected. “In these difficult times we join the sorrow of the Spanish,” he said.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan offered “solidarity with the victim’s families and a quick recovery for the injured” in a post on X. “Armenia shares your pain and wishes you strength,” he said.

An erroneous order from a train controller, following a signaling system failure, resulted in Wednesday’s deadly train crash, according to Spain’s transport minister.

Speaking during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Óscar Puente said that a computer failure with the main LZB signalling system triggered an automatic stop for all trains in that area, including the Renfe high-speed train and Iryo train involved in the collision.

The control system for Adif, Spain’s railway infrastructure manager, then took command of the system and a decision was made for the Renfe train to continue its journey and the train was authorized to proceed despite a red signal prohibiting movement remaining in place.

The Iryo train remained stationary on the track around 25 kilometers (16 miles) ahead.

The Renfe train was authorized to proceed without any speed restrictions, meaning that between 8:36 a.m. and 8:52 a.m. local time, it traveled approximately 25 kilometers (16 miles) at a speed of about 200 kilometers per hour (124 miles per hour) before colliding with the Iryo train, Puente said.

The transport minister described the crash as “truly implausible” and said that the control center’s decision to allow the Renfe train to resume its journey while the Iryo train was stopped on the track was “inexplicable.”

This post has been updated with additional reporting.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said authorities are working hard to identify the cause of today’s deadly train crash in Toledo province, and vowed that any negligence, if identified, will be addressed with “utmost firmness.”

Sánchez added that if Spain must “strengthen safety even further in order to rebuild confidence in our high-speed rail system, we will do so. Because what is unacceptable for a country like Spain is to suffer two high-speed rail accidents in the same year, as we have.”

“Therefore, every measure considered appropriate will be taken,” he said.

He also said the cause of the crash was “not for me to say,” but rather for the train network operators and the country’s Independent Commission on Rail Accidents to investigate.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is at the scene of the train collision, where he offered his condolences and announced three days of official mourning.

“Today, Spain is in mourning. All of Spain is in mourning,” he said, saying he expressed his “full solidarity” with victims’ families.

“Behind every person who has died today, there are shattered lives, there are broken families. There is also the anguish of those families who still do not know the whereabouts of their loved ones. And, of course, there is a great deal of pain, a great deal of pain that Spanish society as a whole naturally shares.”

At least 68 people have been killed and another 58 have been injured after two trains collided in the Spanish province of Toledo, local officials have said.

Here are some of the latest developments:

Human error may have played a part in the deadly crash , Spanish media has suggested, suggesting that a railway controller could have made a mistake that led to the collision.

A woman traveling on one of the trains involved in the deadly collision has described “awful” scenes as people were thrown into the air.

Several passengers were seen by a CNN team with minor injuries, including cuts on their faces and around their eyes, and what appeared to be bloody noses. Many people also had blood on their hands and arms.

The scene at the site of the crash is frantic as a serious rescue operation is underway, with dozens of fire trucks, ambulances and police cars present, according to CNN’s team on the ground in Toledo province.

The Spanish Civil Guard has opened four offices in different cities of Spain in order to swiftly identify the victims of the crash.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will travel to Urda , the town closest to the site of the collision, the country’s government said on X.

European leaders have been quick to share their condolences , with Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro offering his country’s “availability for whatever may be necessary” following the collision.

CNN’s Magdalena Sofia Vitores Moreno, Benjamin Brown, Sophie Tanno, Vasco Cotovio, Pau Mosquera and Lauren Kent contributed to this reporting.

Emergency crews are working at the site of a deadly train collision in Spain’s Toledo province today, in which at least 64 people were killed and dozens more injured.

Train passengers have told CNN that the moment of the crash was “very chaotic” and people were immediately thrown out of their seats and on top of one another inside the train carriages.

Authorities have moved at least one bus full of passengers who do not have serious injuries away from the site. Several passengers being bussed away had minor injuries, including cuts on their faces and around their eyes, and what appeared to be bloody noses. Many people also had blood on their hands and arms.

“There was terrible communication. No one could leave the trains for 10 minutes after the crash, we didn’t know what was happening,” said one passenger, Rey, who declined to give his last name.

He said he and his family, who were on the way to a vacation in Seville, are OK but also “desperate to go.” More busses have arrived on the scene now to move additional passengers away from the area.

Another passenger, Yoander, 25, told CNN: “I was sleeping, and when I woke up I was already crashing into the seats in front of me.”

“I hit my face and my leg,” he said. “I’m in pain, but there are people that need more help than I do.”

The deadly train crash in Spain’s Toledo province has some similarities with a train disaster in Córdoba province that killed more than 40 people earlier this year.

Both train collisions happened along the same high-speed rail route that runs between the capital, Madrid, and Seville, about 300 miles south.

The Toledo crash happened about 130 miles from the site of January’s train disaster near Adamuz , in Córdoba province. Following Wednesday’s crash, authorities have suspended that high-speed line linking the Madrid region with Andalusia.

Both train accidents also involved the collision of two high-speed trains, although one of the trains on Wednesday was not travelling at high speed at the time of the crash.

Spanish emergency authorities have not yet announced a precise cause of Wednesday’s crash, but they have disclosed some details. The local Castilla-La Mancha 112 emergency services told CNN they received a report of a collision at 8.45 a.m. local time. According to the reports, a train owned by the company Iryo was stationary or traveling at low speed when it was struck by a high-speed AVE train operated by Spain’s national railway company Renfe.

It appears the crash on Wednesday was a rear-end collision, authorities at the scene told CNN. The train crash earlier this year involved one train derailing and crossing onto an adjacent track, according to Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE.

For context: Spain’s train drivers’ union, Semaf, has previously raised concerns about high speeds causing vibrations and subsequent wear and tear along high-speed railway lines, a source from the union told CNN in January, in the aftermath of the crash near Adamuz.

In August 2025, the union sent a letter to the national railway operator, Adif, asking for a reduction in the maximum speed on all high-speed train lines from 300 kmph to 250 kmph, after some stretches were vibrating and placing stress on the infrastructure, the source said.

CNN’s Pau Mosquera, Tim Lister and Sophie Tanno contributed to this report.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will travel to Urda, the town closest to the site of the train crash, the country’s government said in a post on X.

While in Urda, Sanchez will “back the works of the emergency teams and bring support to the affected and their families,” the government said.

There has been an outpouring of grief from neighboring European leaders today, after two trains collided in the Spanish province of Toledo, killing dozens of people.

Portugal ’s Prime Minister Luís Montenegro expressed his “condolences and profound solidarity” to those affected, offering his country’s “availability for whatever may be necessary” following the collision.

Italy’ s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he was following developments “with deep concern,” adding that the Italian Consulate General in Madrid was working to verify possible involvement of Italian citizens in the crash.

French President Emmanuel Macron offered his country’s thoughts to the victims of the collision and their families, as well as emergency crews working on the scene. “To the Spanish people, I express the solidarity of France,” he said.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, called the news of the collision “devastating” and said that her “heart goes out to the victims’ families and loved ones.” In a post on X , von der Leyen said: “Today, Europe mourns with you.”

Meanwhile, Benjamín León Jr, the US Spain’s state-owned public broadcaster to Spain, said he was “closely following” the news of the crash “with deep concern.” Offering his thoughts to the victims, León Jr said that “all our support is with the emergency services that are working on the grounds now. We are with Spain in these moments.”

CNN’s James Frater, Duarte Mendonça, Sharon Braithwaite and Magdalena Vitores Moreno contributed to this reporting.

Correction : An earlier version of this post misstated the title of French President Emmanuel Macron.

At least 64 people have now been confirmed killed in a deadly train collision in Spain this morning, a spokesperson for the regional Castilla-La Mancha government said.

The spokesperson told CNN that this number is expected to rise further as emergency workers continue to work at the scene.

The death toll from today’s train crash in the Spanish province of Toledo has now risen to at least 32, according to Emiliano García-Page, the president of the regional Castilla-La Mancha government.

García-Page shared the latest update when speaking to Spanish national broadcaster Radio Nacional de España.

Previously, authorities had said that at least 30 people had been killed and around 100 injured in the collision.

The Spanish Civil Guard announced that they have opened four offices in different cities of Spain in order to swiftly identify the victims of the crash.

A spokesperson of institution has said they will also take DNA samples of the relatives to bring a quick response. “We are calling all close relatives to get to this offices and speed up the identification process,” the spokesperson said.

The offices are in the Civil Guard zones of Madrid, Andalusia, Cordoba and Toledo.

CNN’s Pau Mosquera has been reporting from Urda, a town roughly five miles from the site of today’s deadly train crash.

Dozens of ambulances and emergency service vehicles have been streaming into the town’s sports centre, where Red Cross workers are treating the injured.

One of the survivors recounted how she was thrown from her seat as the crash’s impact sent her flying into the air. She was grateful for the care provided to her by the emergency staff in Urda.

The scene at the site of the crash is frantic as a serious rescue operation is underway, according to CNN’s team on the ground in Toledo province.

Dozens of fire trucks, ambulances and police cars are here. At least three helicopters are also at the crash site to assist with operations. Multiple ambulances have come and gone from the cordoned-off area.

Meanwhile, emergency responders are combing through the rubble of some of the heavily damaged carriages of the train operated by Iryo. Several carriages of the state-owned Renfe high-speed train are tilted on their side after coming off the rails.

The Spanish civil guard has set up multiple tents for what amounts to a huge emergency response.

Authorities have moved a bus full of passengers who do not have serious injuries away from the site, and some those passengers told CNN they are now being taken to their original destination of Sevilla.

Passengers described a chaotic scene when their train hit another train on the tracks.

Those being bussed away from the crash site included citizens of multiple nationalities, including Spain, Brazil and elsewhere. Staff from the US Embassy in Spain are also at the site.

A woman traveling on one of the trains involved in a deadly collision Wednesday morning has described “awful” scenes as people were thrown into the air.

Patricia was sitting in the third carriage of the AVE high speed train, operated by Renfe, Spain’s national railway company, when it collided with a train owned by the company Iryo.

Speaking to CNN, Patricia told how her train had been stopped for around 20 minutes before the accident, with an announcement explaining there was a lot of traffic. “After that we departed, and maybe not after even three minutes, there was a crash,” she said.

Patricia said the crash seemed to last a long time.

The Castilla-La Mancha regional government has called for blood donations following today’s train crash.

“Donate blood,” reads a post on X. “Today your solidarity is very important.”

The post calls for donations in Alcázar de San Juan, Ciudad Real and Toledo.

At least 30 people have been killed and around a hundred injured in a collision between two trains in the Spanish province of Toledo this morning, according to a local government official and emergency services. The incident is the third rail disaster in Spain this year.

Here’s what we know about the deadly collision so far :

The first reports of a collision were received around 8:45 a.m. local time (3:45 a.m. ET), a regional Emergency Services spokesperson told CNN.

According to the reports, one train, managed by the company Iryo, was either stopped or moving at a low speed when it was struck by the other train, operated by the company Renfe. Part of the Renfe train left the tracks, while several carriages of the Iryo train derailed.

There were 146 passengers and a baby traveling on one train and 397 passengers on the other, Esther Padilla, the spokesperson of the regional government Castilla and La Mancha, said.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he was “shocked by the serious train incident,” adding that emergency services were on the ground to assist those impacted in the crash.

Football teams, including LaLiga giants Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, have issued statements of condolences following the deadly collision.

CNN’s Pau Mosquera, Sophie Tanno, Magdalena Sofia Vitores Moreno and Lauren Kent contributed to this reporting.