Spain is in national mourning after a high-speed train collision near Urda killed at least 69 people, and preliminary investigators have now given the first account of how fast the moving train was travelling. According to a preliminary investigation reported by Reuters, the Renfe train was travelling at between 160 and 200 kilometres per hour when it struck the rear of a stationary Iryo train on the Madrid to Seville line on Wednesday, 28 October.

The collision happened near Urda, about 130 kilometres south of Madrid. The Renfe train carried 397 passengers and the Iryo train about 146. More than 100 people were injured, according to regional officials.

The sequence investigators are examining

Transport Minister Óscar Puente said a computer malfunction disabled the line safety system at about 8.30 in the morning. The Madrid control centre then authorised the Renfe train to resume, a decision the minister called erroneous and against protocol.

The precise speed has not yet been established, because examination of the trains' onboard recorders is incomplete. Two investigations are running: a criminal inquiry led by a court in Orgaz and a technical inquiry by Spain's independent rail accident investigators.

A toll that may still change

The confirmed toll stands at at least 69, with 64 missing-person reports received by the Civil Guard. Deaths are added to the toll only after checking by the courts and the Guardia Civil.

The crash was Spain's second deadly high-speed collision of 2026, after 46 people died near Adamuz in January. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has pledged to establish every detail and strengthen safety, and officials have cautioned against assigning individual blame before the investigations conclude.