Spanish Bishops Offer Prayers After Crash Kills 68
They invoked the Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace as Spain mourned 68 dead and hundreds injured in the Toledo-area high-speed train collision.
Two high-speed trains collided shortly before 9 a.m. local time on Wednesday, Oct. 28, between Urda and Los Yébenes near Toledo, Spain. A Renfe AVE train rear-ended an Iryo train on the Madrid-to-Seville line, derailing two cars. The trains carried 544 passengers.
Authorities reported at least 68 deaths by early afternoon Eastern time, with the toll expected to rise. Hundreds were injured. The crash followed similar deadly rail accidents in Adamuz in January and near Barcelona earlier in 2026.
Bishops Entrust the Dead to Our Lady
The Spanish Bishops' Conference stated that it "prays for the eternal rest of the deceased and for the recovery of the injured" and joined "in the grief of those affected." The conference called for prayers under the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Comforter of the Afflicted and Queen of Peace.
Archbishop Francisco Cerro of Toledo offered the diocesan Church's "profound concern" and said that parishes, the local vicariate, and Caritas stand ready to provide help and accompaniment to those affected by the tragedy.
Father Fernando Fernández de Bobadilla, parish priest of Los Yébenes, was at the scene holding IV bags as rescuers worked. He noted triage wristbands on the injured and the removal of bodies. Father José Miguel Fernández of Urda offered parish facilities and Caritas support to families in need.
Solidarity Across the Spanish Church
Messages of prayer and closeness came from Cardinal José Cobo of Madrid and Archbishop José Ángel Saiz Meneses of Seville, as well as from the bishops of Getafe, Granada, León, Orihuela-Alicante, Málaga, and Vitoria.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declared the country "in mourning." King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia expressed solidarity with the victims' families and with the emergency teams working at the wreckage.