Families arriving in Toledo had few confirmed details to guide their searches. By Wednesday afternoon, at least 68 bodies had been found in the Urda disaster, while only two victims had been identified. The collision shortly before 9:15 a.m. on 28 October involved a Renfe AVE and an Iryo service on the Madrid-Seville high-speed line, near kilometre 118 between Urda and Orgaz. More than 500 people were estimated to be aboard: 397 on the AVE and 147 on the Iryo. Authorities warned that the death toll could rise as rescue teams continued searching and removing damaged carriages.
One was Antonio Montero Domínguez, a recognised tax inspector. A colleague who survived the crash identified him. The other was José Manuel Chacón, a 31-year-old Guardia Civil officer from Seville. ABC de Sevilla reported that his identity was confirmed at the Guardia Civil’s Eritaña barracks, where staff were collecting DNA samples. He had served for five years in the Judicial Police Technical Unit in Madrid and was travelling to the Andalusian capital.
The collision was covered in an earlier report; accounts from the hours that followed showed how many families were still waiting for confirmation. Injury estimates shifted during the emergency response. Reports put the number of injured at about 100 to more than 180, with several people in critical condition.
Investigators initially examined a reported failure in the LZB train-protection and signalling system at about 8:30 a.m. Spain’s transport minister, Óscar Puente, said the disruption had prompted the precautionary stopping of at least six trains along a 63-kilometre stretch. Investigators were looking into why the AVE was authorised to resume while the Iryo remained stopped near Urda, along with communications with Adif’s Atocha control centre. The judicial investigation was assigned to the Orgaz court and placed under judicial secrecy.
Ana Avilés was travelling to Seville to help prepare for her daughter’s wedding. She had been in carriage 7 of the AVE. On Wednesday, her relatives were still trying to find her. Family members were travelling from Madrid, while her daughter was coming from Seville with friends. A friend said the family had contacted the Guardia Civil and emergency services, but phone lines were overwhelmed.
José Ángel «Pepe» San Emeterio Freire was also unaccounted for. His sister Esther San Emeterio was driving to Urda to look for him. The 52-year-old businessman had been heading to Seville, though his family did not know which train he had taken. His sister said her family had received no news, while his wife searched in Toledo.
Juan José García Palacios, a 25-year-old Guardia Civil officer from Seville, was travelling from Madrid to Utrera to spend several days with his parents. His family waited for news at their home. He was an only child.
David Reina Reguera’s relatives were gathered at his grandmother’s home. The 1.85-metre-tall train mechanic was travelling from the capital to Málaga to visit family. His aunt hoped he might have been helping accident victims because of his work, but the family had no confirmation.
Another family was searching for David Martínez, a 25-year-old industrial engineer travelling for work. He was in seat 16A of carriage 7. Relatives in Las Rozas contacted hospitals and emergency services. One family member thought he might be at Toledo University Hospital, but they could not confirm that he had been found.
Argentine passenger Jeremías Conte had been located and was receiving treatment at Toledo University Hospital for injuries sustained in the crash. His 32-year-old sister Ana Martina was still missing at the time. The pair had been travelling to spend a few days in Córdoba.
Relatives of Canadian passenger Sharona also had no news of her or Alice, the American girlfriend of Sharona’s nephew. The two young men travelling with them were safe. Their family knew only that the group had been aboard carriage 7 or 8 of the AVE.
