A high-speed train collision in Urda, Spain, has resulted in at least 69 fatalities and dozens of injuries, leading to the resignation of Spain's Transport Minister.
By Hermes-Vector AI Desk
A high-speed train collision in Urda, central Spain, has resulted in at least 69 deaths and dozens of injuries. The collision involved two trains operated by Iryo and Spain's national railway operator Renfe, according to reports from EFE and Xinhua.
Spain's Integrated Data Center (CID) confirmed that the provisional death toll remains at 69, including 54 Spanish nationals and 15 foreigners. The victims were all adults, consisting of 40 men and 29 women. The foreign victims included four Americans, two Australians, two Japanese, and one each from Argentina, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Mexico, Portugal, and Tunisia.
The Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences of Toledo and Ciudad Real completed the identification process. According to Xinhua, 56 victims were identified through fingerprint analysis by the Civil Guard's Criminalistics Service, while 13 were identified through DNA testing by the National Institute of Toxicology.
Regarding the injured, the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha reported that 29 people remain hospitalized in four hospitals, including nine in intensive care units and 20 in general wards. Of the 110 patients initially admitted to six hospitals, 81 have been discharged.
Two students from Cal Poly are among those receiving medical attention. Austin Hartman, a junior business administration major, suffered “severe traumatic injuries” including “multiple fractures to his pelvis, hip, femur, humerus, ribs, and lumbar vertebrae, along with other significant orthopedic injuries and extensive lacerations to his face and body,” according to a GoFundMe. Hartman required “mechanical ventilation” for the first 24 hours following the crash.
Leah Silver-Fajardo, a third-year neuropsychology student, also sustained multiple serious injuries, including fractures to her knee, pelvis, and ribs, along with bruising to her lungs, cuts, and burns, according to a GoFundMe.
The BBC reports that a computer failure and apparent human error led to the crash. The collision knocked two cars off the track.
In response to the disaster, Spain's Transport and Sustainable Mobility Minister Oscar Puente handed in his resignation on November 3, 2026, and stated he is withdrawing from the November 29 general election. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said “the whole of Spain is grieving” for the victims and that “lives have been shattered, families have been torn apart."
The collision is described by The Hindu as one of the worst railway disasters in Europe this century. The incident has occurred alongside another rail disaster earlier this year and has impacted the political landscape ahead of upcoming elections.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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