URDA, SPAIN – A prominent Oklahoma City artist and arts community leader is missing in Spain following a high-speed train crash that has so far claimed at least 69 lives and left his husband – along with dozens of others – badly injured.
Fernando Calvillo currently serves as the Community Relations Director for the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition (OVAC) and lives in OKC with his husband, artist and jewelry designer Lawrence Naff.
The two were in Spain for a vacation this week and were on a high-speed passenger train traveling through Urda in the Spanish state of Toledo when their train collided with a separate stationary train Wednesday night, killing more than 60 people aboard and leaving a chaotic scene that was still being actively searched late Thursday.
Naff sustained serious injuries to his legs and was taken into surgery, but no contact has yet been made with Calvillo, who was seated next to Naff on the train at the time of the collision.
Calvillo’s family, friends, and OKC community are now working to spread the word, hoping that communication lines and networks from Oklahoma to Spain and Mexico (Calvillo retains dual US and Mexican citizenship) may help someone locate him.
Cousin confirms details in Spanish press
According to Spanish news outlet El Semanal de la Mancha*, Calvillo and Naff were in Spain intending to celebrate the birthday of Calvillo’s cousin, Rodrigo Hernández, who spoke to the outlet about the search and the multi-continent effort to coordinate communication.
Hernández said that a signal from Calvillo’s Apple Watch was briefly located at the crash site before being lost, but that no other communications, device signals, or contact have been made since.
He also confirmed Naff’s condition in a hospital in the city of Alcázar de San Juan, saying that Naff was stable, conscious, and recovering from surgery.
“The truth is, the team here at this hospital did a wonderful job,” Hernández told the outlet.
OKC arts community comes together
Since the news reached Oklahoma City, the local arts community has come together to spread support for the artists’ families and their remarkably large networks of close friends, collaborators, and fans.
“They’re amazing people,” said Karis Chambers, an OKC-based artist and former OVAC team member that worked closely alongside Calvillo. “It’s truly a nightmare.”
Social media networks saw dozens of posts and shares Thursday helping to raise awareness of the search for Calvillo and the phone numbers – an American number and a separate Mexican number – that have been designated for any information regarding his whereabouts or condition.
Friends and family are asking for anyone with information to call +1 405 836 2880 in the US or +52 449 222 864 in Mexico
“My world has pretty much come to a halt and I think many other lives in the arts community across the state are in a similar state,” Chambers told Free Press. “We are just waiting and holding onto hope that he is out there and alive. The community has essentially been trading information back and forth to update people and make sure everyone has accurate and up to date info on how they can help.”
“Simply put, Fern and Lawrence are the best of us,” added Oklahoma City-based musician and longtime friend Chase Kerby. “Both have never been anything less than welcoming and warm.”
This is a developing story. Free Press will provide more information regarding this event and ensuing investigation as it becomes available.
*The report from El Semanal de la Mancha was published online in Spanish and was read using Google Translate. Information, detail, and nuance can be lost in translation.
Brett Fieldcamp is the owner and Editor in Chief of Oklahoma City Free Press. He has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly two decades and served as Arts & Entertainment Editor before purchasing the company from founder Brett Dickerson in 2026.
He is also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.
