By Islam El-Sakka
At least 68 people were killed and dozens injured when a high-speed Renfe train collided with an Iryo train near the town of Urda in Spain's Castilla-La Mancha region on Wednesday morning.
Survivors recount terrifying moments
Josimar Medina, a 37-year-old tourist from Peru, described being thrown through the air along with his girlfriend Vitoria Maia in the seventh carriage of the Renfe train. He saw passengers with severe injuries, including missing limbs and crushed heads, and helped move a wounded American man to safety.
Fredrich and Arabella Barilea, a couple from the Philippines living in Dubai, were on the Iryo train. Fredrich was hurled from his seat by the impact, and they fled the carriage amid scenes of bloodied passengers with head injuries. Arabella said the table they were sitting at vanished in the split-second crash.
Ata Yelkaya, a tourist from Turkey, was dozing in carriage five of the Iryo train when the collision occurred. He helped others evacuate, drawing on his experience surviving the 2023 Turkey earthquake, but was overwhelmed upon seeing the dead outside.
Emergency response transforms small town
Urda, a small town amid vineyards and olive groves near Toledo, quickly became a frantic emergency hub. A local sports centre was converted into a triage post for the walking wounded, while emergency vehicles from Castilla-La Mancha and Madrid crowded the streets. Buses ferried lightly injured survivors to the town, many in torn, bloodstained clothing and in deep shock.
Political repercussions and past crashes
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited Urda and declared the nation in mourning. The transport minister called the circumstances "inexplicable," and with a snap general election a month away, voters may express anger over the second major rail disaster in less than a year. The January Adamuz crash killed 46 people, bringing the combined death toll to at least 114 in ten months.
