Thursday 29 / October / 2026
Spain will observe three days of mourning after the death of at least 68 people in a high-speed train collision on Wednesday, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has announced.
"All of Spain is in mourning," he said from the scene of the crash in the central region of Castilla-La Mancha, adding that it was "not acceptable for a country like Spain" to suffer two such disasters in the same year.
A demonstration demanding the Spanish government's resignation over Wednesday's deadly high-speed train crash turned violent in Madrid.
Far-right groups organized the protest outside the Transport Ministry, with around 1,500 people attending, according to Spanish public broadcaster TVE.
Protesters clashed with police, who used tear gas to disperse the crowd.
The demonstration came in the wake of the disaster, which killed at least 68 people and left around 50 seriously injured.
EU flags have been lowered to half-mast in solidarity with Spain
European Union flags have been lowered to half-mast outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels as a marker of European solidarity.
The Commission said the flags were lowered after Spain declared three days of official mourning.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced the decision earlier this morning when he visited the crash site near Urda.
Wednesday's crash, which killed at least 68 people according to the latest updates, is the deadliest train disaster in the EU since 2013.
At least 107 people remain admitted across hospitals in the region of Castilla-La Mancha following Wednesday's train crash, regional emergency services said in an update posted to X.
According to El Pais, of those, 18 were in critical condition.
The crash occurred close to the town of Urda, which is in the region of Castilla-La Mancha.
At least 68 people have died after a high-speed publicly-run Renfe train collided into the back of a privately-run Iryo train that was stopped farther along the tracks on the line between Madrid and the southern city of Seville.
The trains crashed just after 9 a.m. on Wednesday, between the towns of Mora and Orgaz, near Toledo. About 540 people were on the two trains, local officials said.
More than 100 remain injured.
Spanish cup football matches suspended after fatal train accident
Spain's football federation (RFEF) has suspended over 20 Spanish cup (Copa del Rey) fixtures scheduled for Wednesday out of respect for the victims of the deadly train crash earlier in the day.
"As a sign of respect and solidarity with all the victims of the tragic train accident … the RFEF has suspended the 24 matches corresponding to the first round of the Copa del Rey initially scheduled to be played during this afternoon and evening," the RFEF said in a statement.
Five top division teams (Levante, Alaves, Valencia, Celta Vigo and Real Betis) were due to play their first-round matches on Wednesday — but Spanish giants Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona aren't due to enter the competition until the round-of-32 in December.
Several Spanish football clubs have expressed condolences and solidarity on social media.
"FC Barcelona expresses its deepest condolences to the victims of the serious railway accident," wrote the Catalonia-based team. "The club wishes to convey its support and solidarity to the families and friends of the victims and to wish all those injured a speedy recovery."
Real Madrid also published a statement expressing "deepest sorrow" and extending condolences.
As it stands, Thursday's Copa del Rey fixtures (featuring La Liga sides Athletic Bilbao, Osasuna, Deportivo A Coruna, Getafe and FC Sevilla) are still set to go ahead.
New dates for the postponed Wednesday games have not yet been announced.
