At least 68 people died when two Spanish high-speed trains collided on Wednesday, with rescuers scouring the wreckage for more bodies after Spain’s second deadly rail accident this year and Europe’s deadliest since 2013.
Spain’s transport minister said Wednesday’s crash south of Madrid occurred after a Renfe train was authorised to continue its journey despite there being an active red signal because of a stationary train on the track ahead.
Oscar Puente told reporters in Madrid that the red signal was issued due to a computer communications failure, which automatically stopped traffic, and an erroneous decision had been made to restart the Renfe train, in a breach of protocol.
The accident occurred on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed rail line near Urda, where a Renfe AVE train and an Iryo train collided, prompting a major emergency response involving local, regional and national authorities.
Ambulances, funeral home vans and helicopters were parked next to one of the trains on an elevated section of track, while twisted metal, broken panels and wreckage were strewn across an embankment down which at least three carriages had plunged.
Footage from regional Castilla-La Mancha Television showed a derailed train with at least one carriage remaining on an elevated section of track while twisted metal, broken panels and wreckage could be seen strewn across an embankment beneath the line.
Miguel, a passenger travelling with several colleagues in the rear car of one of the trains, described to Cope Radio the moment of the accident.
“We heard a massive roar, a truly enormous thud that went on for 10 seconds, as if the train were about to derail. Through the right-hand window, we could see a wrecked train — I imagine it must have been the other one,” he said.
Death toll likely to rise
Castilla-La Mancha region spokesperson Esther Padilla said the number of casualties was likely to rise.
She said 147 people had been travelling on the Iryo train and 397 on the Renfe train.
The collision comes nine months after an accident between high-speed trains belonging to the same operators on the same line that killed 46 people.
That crash in January, which occurred after a train derailed and smashed into an oncoming train near Adamuz, in Cordoba province, triggered a debate about the level of investment in railway maintenance in recent years.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s agenda, published on the Spanish government’s website, had been cleared for the day. The opposition People’s Party also cancelled all campaign events ahead of a snap election on November 29, a spokesperson said.
“Shocked by the serious train accident in Toledo. My affection, solidarity, and support to all the victims and their families,” Sanchez said on X.
The Renfe and Iryo trains crashed just after 9am (local time), causing two Iryo wagons to derail, a spokesperson for the Castilla La Mancha region said, adding that the cause was not yet clear.
Rail operator Adif said the incident occurred on the line from Madrid to Seville.
Manuel Galan, the mayor of the nearby town of Urda, told Cadena SER that emergency services had asked the town council to prepare emergency facilities, including a sports hall, to accommodate passengers and the injured.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed profound grief over the devastating train collision in Toledo, extending condolences to his Spanish counterpart, the local people and the families of those who lost their lives.
“We pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. Pakistan stands with Spain in its hour of sorrow,” he added. –Agencies
