# Urda train collision in Spain

> Developing situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/urda-train-collision-in-spain
> Updated: 2026-10-31T13:37:20.000Z. Sources: 36. Developments: 2.

A major railway accident occurred in Urda, Toledo, involving a Renfe high-speed train and a stationary Iryo train. The collision resulted in at least 69 fatalities and over 100 injuries.

The Spanish Minister of Transport, Óskar Puente, stated the tragedy was caused by incorrect instructions from a central dispatch center following a safety system failure on the Madrid-Seville line.

Among the victims were prominent figures including Spanish composer Marisa Manchado and scientists Marta Shahbazi Alonso and Tamara González Costa. Authorities confirmed that Shahbazi, 41, and González Costa, 31, were traveling in the same carriage of the AVE train when the impact occurred. Both researchers were originally from the León province and had been reported missing for several days following the incident.

Shahbazi was a group leader at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology and an associate professor at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute. She was traveling to receive the 2026 José Luis Gómez-Skarmeta Award from the Spanish Society for Developmental Biology in El Rompido, Huelva. She is survived by her husband and two children. González Costa was a doctor in Molecular Biosciences who worked at the Institute of Biotechnology in Vienna. Both researchers were traveling to the same scientific congress in Huelva at the time of the accident. Local municipalities in León, including Bembibre and Carrizo de la Ribera, have expressed profound mourning for the loss of the two scientists.

As of November 1, there have been 110 hospitalizations related to the accident, with 31 people remaining in hospital care.

## Claims

- Marta Shahbazi Alonso was traveling to Huelva to attend a congress of the Spanish Society for Developmental Biology. (reported by 12 sources)
- Marta Shahbazi Alonso was 41 years old. (reported by 10 sources)
- The collision occurred between an AVE train and a stationary Iryo train. (reported by 10 sources)
- Marta Shahbazi Alonso was scheduled to receive a scientific excellence award at the congress. (reported by 10 sources)
- Marta Shahbazi Alonso was a group leader at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge. (reported by 7 sources)
- Tamara González Costa was 31 years old. (reported by 7 sources)
- Tamara González Costa worked at the Institute of Biotechnology in Vienna. (reported by 6 sources)
- The train collision near Urda caused 69 deaths. (reported by 5 sources)

## Timeline

### 2026-10-31: Urda train collision kills two prominent scientists

Two scientists, Marta Shahbazi Alonso and Tamara González Costa, died in a train collision near Urda, Spain, which claimed 69 lives. Both were traveling to a scientific congress in Huelva.

16 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/spanish-scientist-marta-shahbazi-killed-in-urda-train-collision

### 2026-10-29: Marisa Manchado, Spanish composer, dies in Urda train collision

Award-winning Spanish composer Marisa Manchado has died in a high-speed train collision in Urda, Toledo, which left at least 69 people dead.

24 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/marisa-manchado-reported-missing-after-train-accident-in-spain

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Cite as: Urda train collision in Spain. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/urda-train-collision-in-spain