At least 68 people were killed Wednesday when a Spanish high-speed train slammed into a stationary train, leaving wrecked carriages scattered across an embankment and rescuers searching through twisted metal for additional victims. The disaster marks Spain’s second fatal rail crash this year and Europe’s deadliest train accident since 2013.

The collision has raised urgent questions about railway safety after Transport Minister Oscar Puente said a Renfe train had been authorized to continue despite an active red signal and a stationary train ahead. He told reporters in Madrid that a computer communications failure had triggered the red signal and automatically halted traffic, but an erroneous decision was subsequently made to restart the Renfe service.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said “all of Spain” was mourning the victims and promised a thorough investigation into the catastrophe.

Speaking in a televised address near the crash site south of Madrid, Sanchez described the incident as a “terrible tragedy” and pledged to address any failures uncovered by investigators. He also stressed that the causes of Wednesday’s crash and January’s deadly accident appeared to be unrelated.

“If we need to further strengthen safety in order to rebuild confidence in our high-speed rail system, we will do so,” Sanchez said, adding that two high-speed rail accidents in one year were unacceptable for Spain.

The opposition People’s Party canceled all campaign events scheduled for Wednesday ahead of elections next month.

Rescue Crews Search Mangled Carriages for Victims

The devastation unfolded in rural Castilla-La Mancha, where emergency workers, ambulances, funeral home vans and helicopters gathered near the wreckage on an elevated stretch of railway. Twisted metal littered the surrounding area, while at least three carriages plunged down an embankment.

Regional government head Emiliano García-Page confirmed that the death toll had climbed to 68. As darkness approached, rescuers continued searching the damaged trains, uncertain whether moving the carriages would reveal additional victims.

Health Minister Monica Garcia said 80 people had been injured, including 15 who were in very serious condition. Survivors, some covered in blood and others wearing bandages, were evacuated along a nearby road as emergency teams worked amid the wreckage.

Passenger Salvador Arriza, 62, described a terrifying struggle to escape his carriage.

“I was very close to the door, but (other passengers) were breaking the windows to be able to get out,” he said. “Some people practically couldn't move because they were trapped amongst the seats.”

The collision left passengers scrambling for a way out as the impact transformed ordinary train carriages into a maze of damaged seats, broken windows and trapped travelers.

Investigation Focuses on Signal Failure and Train Movements

The Spain train crash is the deadliest European rail disaster since a 2013 derailment in Santiago de Compostela, where 80 people died. It also follows a fatal January collision involving high-speed trains operated by the same companies on the same railway line, which claimed 46 lives.

In January’s accident, one train derailed and struck an oncoming service, prompting renewed debate over railway maintenance spending and infrastructure investment.

Renfe said Wednesday that its train had continued after receiving authorization to proceed before colliding with the Iryo train, which remained stationary for reasons that were not yet known.

“The Renfe train continued on its way as instructed, and a collision occurred,” the state-owned railway operator said in a statement. It added that investigators would need to establish the exact sequence of events, traffic conditions and circumstances surrounding the impact.

Iryo said it had activated emergency protocols, while infrastructure operator Adif did not respond to requests for comment.

A Castilla-La Mancha government spokesperson said 147 people were aboard the Iryo train and 397 were traveling on the Renfe service when the collision occurred at approximately 9 a.m. local time, or 0800 GMT. The crash derailed two carriages of the Iryo train.

Passenger Rafael Barcelo said he considered himself fortunate because he had left his seat to get a coffee shortly before the impact. He estimated that at least eight people from his carriage had died.

“We were having breakfast, drinking a coffee when we felt a very strong impact and we were sent flying,” he said.

Families Wait for News of Missing Relatives

At a school in Urda designated as a meeting point for relatives, a woman who identified herself as Ana fought back tears as she waited for information about her husband, Pepe.

His name was not among those of the victims identified so far. Police had, however, located the couple’s dog, Trece, offering a small but painful detail amid the uncertainty.

Renfe announced that it had established a dedicated telephone line for families of victims. The operator also suspended ticket sales on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed corridor through Dec. 13.

Railway Maintenance Spending Faces Renewed Scrutiny

The latest catastrophe is likely to intensify scrutiny of Spain’s railway infrastructure and the balance between building new lines and maintaining existing ones.

A preliminary Civil Guard report issued in February identified defects involving the track, rail or a weld joining two sections of track as the leading theory in January’s accident. Investigators continued to examine seven other possible explanations.

Meanwhile, Spain’s railway safety authority has reported an increase in accidents, including collisions and derailments. The number rose from 45 in 2016 to 57 in 2024, then climbed to 69 last year.

Passenger figures also indicate a changing landscape for Spain’s high-speed rail network. A Reuters analysis of data from the Spanish competition authority found that approximately 25 million passengers traveled by high-speed train during the first half of 2026, about 14% fewer than during the same period a year earlier.

European Commission figures point to another concern: Spain’s spending on maintaining its approximately 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles) of high-speed railway lines has lagged behind that of other major European countries.

Spain spent an average of about 1.5 billion euros annually on its high-speed network between 2018 and 2022, more than any other European country. Yet much of that funding went toward constructing new infrastructure, while only about 16% was allocated to maintenance, renewals and upgrades.

As investigators work to reconstruct Wednesday’s collision, the tragedy has placed railway safety, signaling procedures and infrastructure spending under renewed scrutiny. For grieving families and injured passengers, however, the immediate priority remains finding answers about how a journey on one of Europe’s most advanced rail networks ended in catastrophe.