At Least 68 Killed as Two Trains Collide in Central Spain

At least 68 people have died after two trains collided in central Spain on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, according to CBC News and CNN. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has declared three days of national mourning, a period of official grief marked by public notice, according to Deutsche Welle.

The crash happened on the Madrid-Andalucía high-speed line, a rail route built for fast passenger trains that runs south from the Spanish capital. A high-speed train ran into another train that had stopped on the tracks, according to CBC News. The two trains were carrying about 500 passengers between them, and around 100 people were injured, CNN reported.

Hospital care is under way for many of the injured. The regional government of Castilla-La Mancha, the region where the crash took place, said 58 people were receiving medical treatment at hospitals. Those figures are likely to change as more people are checked and as families are told who is safe.

Rescue teams spent the day searching twisted metal and wreckage for survivors and for those who had died, Reuters reported. Crews worked among carriages that were badly crushed in the impact. Recovery work is likely to take some time.

Three days of mourning means that flags are flown at half-mast and public events may be scaled back in the days ahead. For many families, the wait for news of relatives is the hardest part. Anyone trying to get information about a passenger is advised to contact the authorities and the rail operator directly, rather than relying on social media posts.

The cause of the collision is not yet known.