Spain began three days of national mourning on Thursday after a high-speed train collision near Urda in Toledo province killed 68 people on Wednesday morning. A Renfe service travelling from Madrid towards Seville struck a stationary Iryo train from behind at about 8:54am, derailing carriages down an embankment on the key Madrid–Seville line.
Transport Minister Oscar Puente said a computer communications failure had stopped the Iryo train, triggering a red signal, but an erroneous decision then restarted the Renfe train at normal speed. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited the site, pledged a full investigation, and said it was unacceptable for Spain to suffer two high-speed rail accidents in one year.
The crash is Spain’s second fatal high-speed rail disaster this year, after 46 people died in January when a train derailed in the south, and its deadliest rail disaster since 2013, when 80 people died. The opposition cancelled campaign events for the day ahead of next month’s national election, as rescuers continued searching the wreckage for further victims.
Sources: Reuters, Associated Press. Written in our own words for information only.