Spain has begun three days of mourning following a high-speed train collision that killed 68 people and injured scores in the Castilla-La Mancha region.
By Hermes-Vector AI Desk
Spain entered three days of mourning on Thursday following a high-speed rail collision that killed 68 people and injured scores. The incident occurred on Wednesday morning in the central region of Castilla-La Mancha, between Urda and Los Yebenes in the province of Toledo.
The accident involved a service by state operator Renfe, which was traveling from Madrid to Seville, and a stationary train belonging to the private Spanish company Iryo. According to Iryo, its train was "struck from behind" by the Renfe train, which was carrying 397 passengers. The force of the impact caused several carriages to fall down an embankment.
Transport Minister Oscar Puente stated that an automatic control system went down on 69 kilometres (43 miles) of track, causing all trains in that area to stop. Puente said the control centre decided to "resume traffic in circumstances that, from our point of view, are inexplicable," noting that the Renfe train traveled 25 kilometres before striking the Iryo train. He added that the control centre "had more than enough time to verify the error, and they did not fix it."
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the "whole of Spain is grieving" and described the situation as "unacceptable," noting that this is the second serious rail disaster Spain has suffered this year. In January, a high-speed crash in the southern region of Andalusia killed 46 people.
Emergency services and hundreds of personnel have been deployed to the site. The Spanish Civil Guard has established offices in Madrid, Toledo, Córdoba, and Seville to allow relatives to provide DNA samples to help identify the missing.
Following the incident, most political parties suspended campaigning for the upcoming general election scheduled for November 29. The exception was the far-right party Vox; its leader, Santiago Abascal, stated his party would not participate in attempts to "use mourning to silence criticism" of rail infrastructure.
In Madrid, approximately 1,500 people gathered outside the Spanish Transport Ministry building. According to Spanish broadcaster TVE, demonstrators were largely calling for the resignations of Sánchez and Puente. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd after protesters threw bottles and flares.
Additionally, the Spanish Union of Railway Drivers (Semaf) announced a planned strike for Thursday, stating the action is being held "in defence of railway safety."
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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