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Journalist recalls dining-car impact and escape in Spain's train crash

A survivor's account, families awaiting news and the transport minister's timeline add detail to coverage of the collision near Urda.

Channel: EL PAÍS ·

SpainStory of October 29, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of EL PAÍS's most watched videos since yesterday, with 297,955 views.

EL PAÍS: A Spanish daily newspaper published since 1976, owned by the PRISA group. 3.4M subscribers and 2.4B views.

DIRECTO | Accidente de trenes en Toledo | Programa especial | EL PAÍS

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

7:58Sánchez promises a thorough investigation, including whether negligence contributed to the collision.
10:41The on-site reporter describes cranes arriving to lift carriages and reports at least 68 deaths.
15:00Survivor Antonio Jiménez Barca recounts the dining-car impact, his escape and efforts to help passengers.
27:57The newsroom describes families searching for information while some victims' identities are confirmed.
32:18Family assistance is moving from Urda's sports pavilion to the Guardia Civil headquarters in Toledo.
37:21Puente says the AVE was authorized to resume moving after the LZB failure; technical questions follow.

Antonio Jiménez Barca was in the dining car when he felt a sudden push from behind. In a recorded telephone account, the journalist describes escaping the train and helping other passengers as best he could.

His testimony is part of a special broadcast by Spain's EL PAÍS on the collision between an Iryo train and a Renfe AVE high-speed train near Urda, in Toledo province, south of Madrid. The broadcast reports at least 68 deaths.

At the crash site, reporter Belén H. Gómez-Mansilla describes heavy cranes arriving to lift derailed carriages. Passenger footage shows the immediate aftermath from the tracks, while aerial images show emergency personnel working around the wreckage, including the Guardia Civil and Spain's Military Emergency Unit, known as the UME.

Away from the railway, the coverage follows families waiting for information. Journalist Julio Núñez describes relatives searching for news on social media as some victims' identities are confirmed. Another reporter explains that the family assistance center is being moved from a sports pavilion in Urda to the Guardia Civil headquarters in Toledo. The broadcast also reports military logistical preparations near the city's forensic institute.

Transport Minister Óscar Puente provides a timeline that places the train's authorization to resume moving at approximately 8:36, after a failure of the LZB train-control system. The program's technical discussion examines signaling protocols and unresolved questions about permission to pass a red signal. These are accounts and questions presented in the broadcast, not a completed finding on the cause.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez promises an investigation that will establish whether negligence occurred. Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo calls for immediate government and judicial inquiries. Asked about his own position, Puente says his priority is clarifying what happened and dealing with the emergency.

The broadcast reports three days of official mourning and the suspension of Renfe and Iryo ticket sales between Madrid and Andalusia, bringing the disruption beyond the crash site to passengers across the route.

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