At Least 68 Dead After High-Speed Trains Collide in Central Spain
The crash near Toledo is Spain's second fatal rail collision this year and the deadliest European Union rail accident since 2013.
A Renfe high-speed passenger train travelling south from Madrid to Seville collided with a stationary Iryo train on Wednesday morning. At least 68 people died in the crash near Urda in Toledo province, according to the Castilla-La Mancha regional government.
The collision derailed at least two carriages and threw rail cars down an embankment beneath the tracks. A total of 544 people were on board the two trains. Rescuers recovered 24 bodies from the Renfe train and found the remaining victims inside the Iryo carriages.
Regional authorities initially reported that 58 injured passengers were hospitalized. Hospital admissions later reached 107 people across regional medical facilities, according to El País. Between 15 and 18 survivors remained in critical condition.
The accident occurred after a computer communication failure shut down the LZB signalling system at roughly 8:30 a.m. The outage affected a 63-kilometer stretch of track, automatically stopping about six trains in the sector.
Rail control operators at ADIF then switched to manual management. Operators authorized the Renfe train to proceed along the track where the Iryo train sat stationary. The Renfe train travelled roughly 25 kilometers between the initial signal failure and the crash.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente characterized the clearance order as an inexplicable human error following an automated safety failure. Puente said authorities identified the operator who issued the command, while noting that the train drivers were not at fault.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced three days of official mourning from an emergency post in Urda. Sánchez called it unacceptable for Spain to suffer two major rail disasters in one year. He vowed that inquiries into any negligence would proceed with the utmost severity.
Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the opposition People's Party, demanded immediate judicial inquiries and an audit of national rail infrastructure. King Felipe VI issued an official statement offering condolences to victims and their families.
The incident is the deadliest European Union rail accident since 80 people died near Santiago de Compostela in 2013. It is also the second fatal crash on the Madrid-Andalusia corridor this year, following a collision near Adamuz that killed 46 people.
Spain scheduled three days of national mourning through Saturday, while political parties suspended campaign activities. Renfe halted services between Madrid and Andalusia as crews inspect tracks. Judicial authorities and accident investigators are examining dispatch logs and black box data.
