The collision between two high-speed trains on the Madrid–Andalusia route, in the Los Yébenes–Urda area, led to the suspension of rail traffic and the deployment of intensive care units. The initial reports mentioned at least 10 deaths, while the toll subsequently rose (from 39 to dozens of people hospitalized), reaching 53 patients still in hospitals shortly after the accident. The Spanish authorities also declared three days of national mourning.
Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente later pointed to possible “human error”: he said that the LZB signaling system had apparently failed around 08:30, triggering the automatic stopping of several trains, after which the control center allegedly authorized one train to resume its journey, a decision he described as “inexplicable.”
Meanwhile, dozens of people protested in Madrid, demanding explanations and accountability, while regional officials, including Madrid President Isabel Díaz Ayuso, observed a minute of silence in memory of the victims.
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