Spain marks third day of mourning as train drivers demand urgent safety reforms after deadly Urda collision
Spain is observing its third day of national mourning on Saturday following a catastrophic train collision in Urda, Toledo, which claimed the lives of at least 69 people earlier this week. The disaster has intensified scrutiny on the country’s rail infrastructure, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez facing mounting pressure from unions and opposition parties demanding urgent action to prevent future tragedies. Residents and local officials gathered in a village near the crash site for a memorial Mass at the San Juan Bautista church, where pews were packed and dozens more listened outside, some wiping away tears as authorities continued the painful process of identifying victims.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that Spain was working "tirelessly" to complete the identification process, while Emiliano Garcia-Page, leader of Castilla-La Mancha, warned that authorities "do not rule out more dead." Garcia-Page noted that emergency services had collected "31 bags of partial remains," complicating forensic efforts. Legal authorities confirmed that 67 reports for missing people remain active, including 14 for foreign nationals from countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, France, Japan, Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Tunisia, and the Czech Republic. Portugal’s government confirmed that a Portuguese citizen who worked on one of the trains was among the deceased, while 39 injured individuals remained in hospitals in Castilla-La Mancha.
The Wednesday crash, described as the second such disaster this year and one of Europe’s deadliest rail accidents this century, has triggered immediate demands for regulatory changes. The Spanish Union of Train Drivers and Railway Assistants (Semaf) requested an urgent review of regulations governing train operations when automatic protection systems fail. In a statement, Semaf urged the State Railway Safety Agency (AESF) to act immediately to clarify and amend regulations for the LZB rail protection system and procedures related to the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). Preliminary information from the Independent Authority for the Technical Investigation of Accidents and Incidents (AITAT) indicated that the LZB system stopped functioning at 8:31 am on Wednesday, prior to the collision, though it remains undetermined if this failure directly caused the accident.
Semaf aims to prevent trains from resuming normal operations if there is a risk of two trains occupying the same track section. Transport Minister Óscar Puente ruled out resigning and announced new measures to reduce technical risks and restore public confidence, without specifying details. These concerns are not new; in January 2026, Semaf reported that hundreds of drivers had long raised incidents without response. Following a previous accident in Adamuz, Córdoba, Semaf reached an agreement with the government to strengthen safety, but further delays in implementation have been reported.
The Urda accident adds pressure on Sánchez ahead of November elections. He admitted trust in the high-speed network was "shattered" but pledged solutions. The incident occurred on a key line linking Madrid to Seville, also the scene of a January collision that killed 46 people. Semaf called fresh strikes at state operator Renfe for November 10 and 12, demanding structural safety measures. Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo accused the government of failing to replace an obsolete security system. A victim’s relative, Cecilio, told AFP that many lives had been lost in nine months, calling for societal reflection on why such events occur in the 21st century.
This report was produced in the Europe Brief News newsroom.
