68 Dead in Spain Rail Crash, and the Toll Has More Than Doubled
Another 58 people are in hospital, including 15 in very serious condition. Spain's transport minister said the Renfe train was authorised to restart despite a red signal.
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Oct 28, 22:00 UTC ·
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Follows Developing: At least 30 dead as high-speed train hits stopped train in Spain.
At least 68 people have died in the high-speed train collision near Urda in central Spain, regional authorities said, as rescuers searched the wreckage and warned the toll could rise. [1][3]
Another 58 people were receiving treatment in hospital, including 15 in very serious condition, according to the Castilla-La Mancha regional government. The collision happened shortly before 9 a.m. on October 28, when a Renfe train struck the rear of a stationary Iryo train on the Madrid-Seville line in Toledo province. [1][3][5]
The death toll has more than doubled since The Daily Inference's earlier account, which reported at least 30 deaths and emergency crews deploying helicopters and mobile intensive-care units. The two trains carried 544 passengers.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente said a computer communications failure had brought trains to an automatic stop before Adif, Spain's rail infrastructure manager, authorised the Renfe service to resume at normal speed despite a red signal. His explanation remains an account under investigation, not a final finding of cause or responsibility. [1][2][3]
Puente described the control centre's decision as "inexplicable." He said the train should not have been instructed to resume and, if it was allowed to move, should have been ordered to travel at reduced speed. [1][3]
Rescue crews search the carriages
The Military Emergencies Unit deployed 200 personnel to search for people trapped in the wreckage. Medical helicopters carried the most seriously injured to hospitals in Toledo and Alcázar de San Juan. [1]
Regional president Emiliano García-Page said 24 of those killed had been travelling in the leading carriage of the Renfe train. The other 44 were aboard the Iryo service. [1]
Regional spokeswoman Esther Padilla said the Renfe train carried 397 passengers and the Iryo train 147. Both were travelling south from Madrid towards Seville when they collided near Urda station, at kilometre 118 of the line. [3][5]
A construction worker nearby, David Gómez, told El País that people were trying to get out through the windows. He said he and his colleagues cut through fences to reach the trains, brought first-aid kits and helped passengers until the emergency services arrived. [3]
Ignacio Relaño, a passenger on the Renfe train, told the Spanish broadcaster TVE that it slowed sharply, stopped for a short time and then began moving again before the impact. [3][5]
"The car leaned to one side like it was about to tip over. I hit my nose, everything went flying, luggage, cell phones. Everything shook," he said. [3][5]
His description places a stop and restart before the collision, the sequence now at the centre of the minister's explanation.
A stop, an authorisation and a collision
According to Puente, the disruption began at about 8:30 a.m., when a communications fault involving three computers caused the LZB train control and safety system to fail across a 63-kilometre stretch. Trains stopped automatically. [1][2][3]
Puente said Adif's control centre then authorised the Renfe train to continue normally despite the red signal. He said it travelled about 25 kilometres before striking the stopped Iryo train. [1][2][3]
The minister said investigators were still examining the speed at impact, which could have been as high as 200 kilometres per hour. [1][3][5]
Puente said the train's engineers were not to blame, while also saying he was not assigning responsibility to anyone. The Civil Guard and the Railway Accident Investigation Commission were questioning the traffic operator, according to MercoPress. [1][3]
Services suspended, mourning announced
Renfe said the investigation would have to establish the exact sequence of events, the traffic conditions and the circumstances of the impact. Iryo said it had activated its security protocols and was working with the authorities. Reuters received no immediate response to its request for comment from Adif or Iryo. [3][4]
The crash was Spain's second deadly rail collision this year. A collision near Adamuz in January killed 46 people. Private operator Iryo also operated trains involved in that disaster. [2][3][5]
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced three days of official mourning and promised an investigation into whether negligence had played a part. "We will get to the bottom of this and, if there has been negligence, it will be known," he said. [1][5]
Rail services on the Madrid-Andalusia line remained suspended. No date for reopening had been announced. [1][2]
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- Dozens killed as two high-speed trains collide in Spain - MercoPress MercoPress
- Spain train crash: 68 killed, 3 days of mourning declared dw.com
- Dozens dead in Spain after high-speed train slams into another stopped on tracks | PBS News pbs.org
- At least 68 dead in Spain's second major train crash this year - The Korea Times koreatimes.co.kr
- High-speed train collision kills at least 68 in Spain's 2nd deadly rail crash this year - Newsday newsday.com