Sánchez Orders Three Days of Mourning After Madrid- Seville Train Crash Kills 68
A Renfe train struck a stationary Iryo train in Castilla-La Mancha on Wednesday, the second major high-speed rail collision in Spain this year.
By James Anderson ·
At least 68 people died in a high-speed train collision in central Spain on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declared a three-day period of national mourning after the crash. The incident occurred on the rail line connecting Madrid and Seville. Two trains were traveling in the same direction when one struck the rear of the other. The impact knocked several carriages off the tracks.
This is the second major train collision in Spain this year. In January, a crash in Adamuz between the same two rail companies killed 46 people. Sánchez visited the scene in the Castilla-La Mancha region. He described the situation as unacceptable for a country with Spain's rail infrastructure. He stated that all of Spain is in mourning.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente identified a potential cause for the Wednesday crash. He said the LZB signaling system failed due to a computer malfunction at 8:30 a.m. local time. This failure halted approximately six trains across a 63-kilometer stretch of track. A command center in Madrid took over monitoring duties. The center instructed at least two trains to continue moving despite an active stop signal. Puente called the decision to resume traffic inexplicable. He noted that a train engineer on another line corrected the center, demanding an on-sight operation instead.
The Iryo train was stationary when the Renfe train collided with it. The Renfe train had traveled approximately 25 kilometers before the impact. The crash occurred about 17 minutes after the control center gave the order to resume. The speed of the Renfe train at the moment of impact is unknown. The track section allows speeds of up to 200 kilometers per hour.
Emiliano García-Page, the regional leader of Castilla-La Mancha, said the death toll could rise. Rescue teams have not yet reached the bottom of the derailed carriages. He reported that 73 people received medical treatment in hospitals. Fifteen of those patients are in serious condition. CMM TV footage showed twisted metal and broken panels scattered on an embankment below the elevated track.
Miguel, a passenger in the rear car of one of the trains, told Cope radio he heard a massive roar and a thud lasting ten seconds. He saw a wrecked train through the right-hand window. Manuel Galán, the mayor of Urda near Toledo, said emergency services asked him to prepare a local sports hall for injured survivors. Spain's football federation postponed all 24 Copa del Rey matches scheduled for Wednesday. Main political parties suspended their campaign activities for the day ahead of next month's general election. Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo posted on X that the priority is supporting victims and their families.
