Madrid’s emergency and urgent care services are covered by minimum staffing set at 100%, the regional medical strike committee said. Doctors and other medical staff were ready to help with any extraordinary needs arising from the Toledo rail crash, it added. The committee urged residents to follow health and emergency-service instructions and consult official channels for blood-donation locations.
The collision occurred on 28 October near Urda, in Toledo province, on the Madrid to Seville corridor. ADIF identified the trains as one operated by Renfe and another by Iryo. The crash suspended traffic on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed line. Castilla-La Mancha activated its Platecam territorial emergency plan at 9:15 a.m., placing Toledo province in Operational Situation 1. Guardia Civil officers and firefighters from Toledo and Ciudad Real responded. Civil Protection volunteers joined medical personnel from the regional health service, SESCAM. An advanced medical post was set up to triage victims and coordinate hospital transfers.
Authorities updated casualty figures as they assessed the wreckage. Early reports cited 10 confirmed deaths; CNN later reported at least 30 deaths and approximately 500 passengers aboard the two trains. The New York Times reported about 80 injured people, including 50 with serious injuries. Renfe activated its assistance plan for victims and relatives and opened telephone line 900 101 020.
The Comité de Huelga Médica y Facultativa de la Comunidad de Madrid has suspended the stoppages scheduled for 29 and 30 October. It said the decision followed an urgent assessment of the disaster and was taken out of respect for victims and their families. The committee’s participating organizations include Amyts and AME, as well as Stop Peonadas, MUD and SIME-Csit Unión Profesional. It said it would inform the Consejería de Sanidad of the suspension. The committee expressed solidarity with those affected and praised the emergency and healthcare teams responding to the crash.
Metges de Catalunya (MC) is continuing its indefinite strike, which began on Wednesday 28 October. The union confirmed its position to iSanidad and said participants at a Barcelona demonstration held a minute of silence for the victims. Union sources estimated that between 500 and 1,000 doctors took part. The march followed avenida Diagonal before ending at the headquarters of the Consejería de Salud of the Generalitat de Cataluña.
The Sindicato Médico Avanza is also maintaining its indefinite regional strike in the Comunidad Valenciana, which began on 28 October. Madrid’s suspension applies to the stoppages scheduled for 29 and 30 October and does not change those calls. A separate report on the scheduled 11 November action covered strike rules for employers. One report said Madrid’s strike calendar was expected to resume from 4 to 7 November.
In Madrid, the committee offered support to responders in Castilla-La Mancha and other communities assisting with the accident. It also asked people to follow instructions from health and emergency services and check official channels for blood donation points available during the day and in the following days.
