Three Greek tourists survived a deadly train crash in central Spain after an 18-year-old passenger changed seats moments before the impact. The collision killed at least 74 people and injured more than 100 others.
Christos Dritsas was traveling with his mother and his 21-year-old brother, Marios, when two high-speed trains collided near Urda in Spain’s Toledo province on Wednesday, October 28. The family had arrived in Madrid for a vacation and was heading to Seville when the collision occurred.
Greek teenager escapes after changing seats before collision
Christos had remained in his carriage while his mother and older brother went to the dining car for breakfast. Shortly before the crash, he moved into his brother’s empty seat. The impact tore his previous seat from its position. Christos explained the decision may have saved his life. He suffered minor injuries to his head, elbow and knee.
Meanwhile, Marios and his mother were waiting for breakfast when the trains collided. The force of the impact threw passengers against one another. “Suddenly time stopped,” Marios said. The dining car derailed and tilted about 30 degrees. Marios and his mother managed to get up and search for Christos. They soon found him alive. The three escaped the damaged train and reached a nearby almond orchard.
Greek mother injured as family escapes wreckage
The mother suffered a broken collarbone and received treatment at a hospital in Toledo. Reporters later found her in a wheelchair with her arm in a sling. Still shaken, she allowed her sons to describe the accident. She became emotional while looking at her phone, prompting her sons to embrace her.
🇪🇸 | Un cambio de asiento de última hora le salvó la vida
Con el rostro marcado por los cortes y todavía en estado de ‘shock’, uno de los pasajeros afectados por el grave accidente ferroviario de Urda relataba ante los medios la fortuna que evitó su muerte.…
— Alerta News 24 (@AlertaNews24) October 28, 2026
The family thanked emergency workers, medical staff and a volunteer who drove them from the crash site to a nearby village. They abandoned their plans to visit Seville and were expected to return to Greece on Friday, October 30.
Spain investigates deadly high-speed train collision
The crash occurred when a Renfe high-speed train struck the rear of a stationary Iryo train on the Madrid-Seville line. Spain’s rail infrastructure operator, ADIF, said the Renfe train carried 397 passengers, while 147 were aboard the Iryo service.
As investigators examined a possible signaling failure, Transport Minister Óscar Puente said a central control center had authorized the Renfe train to continue after a safety system stopped working. He described the decision as “inexplicable,” although authorities have not established the final cause.
The disaster was Spain’s deadliest rail accident since a 2013 derailment near Santiago de Compostela killed 80 people. It also followed another deadly high-speed train collision in southern Spain in January that claimed 46 lives.
The latest tragedy also comes as Greece continues to examine the circumstances of its own deadly rail disaster. The 2023 Tempi train crash killed 57 people, and survivors have recently testified about their experiences during court proceedings. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced three days of national mourning from October 29 through October 31 and pledged a full investigation.
