68 killed as two Spanish high-speed trains collide

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At least 68 people have been killed after a high-speed train collided with another train in Spain’s Toledo province. The transport minister blamed an “inexplicable” decision by the rail control centre following a computer malfunction.

The Castilla-La Mancha regional government confirmed the death toll on Wednesday and said 58 other people required hospital treatment. Rescue workers continued searching the wreckage for survivors and victims of the crash, which involved two trains carrying more than 500 passengers.

The collision occurred in the morning between the towns of Urda and Los Yébenes, south of Madrid, according to Spain’s rail infrastructure operator, ADIF.

A train operated by state-owned Renfe struck the rear of a stationary train operated by private company Iryo. The impact knocked two carriages of the Iryo train off the tracks and left several carriages severely damaged.

The Associated Press (AP) reported that the collision occurred on a stretch of track surrounded by olive fields. Debris from the wreckage was scattered down a gravel slope.

Spain’s Transport Minister, Óscar Puente, quoted by AP, said the crash followed a computer malfunction that disrupted a section of the railway before the control centre instructed the Renfe train to resume its journey without speed restrictions.

According to Mr Puente, the railway’s security system stopped working at about 8:30 a.m. because of a computer malfunction, forcing trains operating along a 63-kilometre stretch to stop.

He said the control centre subsequently instructed the Renfe train to resume movement, although a stop signal remained active on the line.

The train collided with the stationary Iryo train at about 8:53 a.m.

Mr Puente said the Renfe train should not have been allowed to move while the stop signal remained active. He added that, if it had been permitted to proceed, it should have been instructed to travel at a reduced speed.

The minister said investigators were still examining the available information to establish the train’s speed at the time of the collision. He said it could have been travelling at 200 kilometres per hour on that section of track.

“I am not attributing responsibility to anyone, I am just stating the facts,” he said.

Mr Puente said the train engineers were not to blame for the crash.

Passengers described a violent impact that sent luggage and mobile phones flying through the train carriages.

Ignacio Relaño, who was travelling on the Renfe train, told Spanish public broadcaster TVE that the train briefly stopped before moving again and colliding with the Iryo train.

“We all felt the train abruptly slowing down and then the impact,” he said.

“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.”

AP reported another passenger saying that she was thrown forward when the train braked suddenly, breaking the small table in front of her. She said she saw injured passengers and people trapped in the wreckage.

Spain’s Health Minister, Mónica García, said emergency workers were concentrating on recovering survivors and bodies from the two most severely damaged carriages. The injured were being taken to hospitals in the surrounding area.

“It was a high-speed impact, so we are expecting this to be a tragedy,” she said.

The two trains were carrying 544 passengers, according to figures provided by the regional authorities. The Renfe train had 397 passengers, while the Iryo train carried 147.

Iryo, an Italian-owned railway company, said it had activated its security protocols and was working closely with the authorities.

The crash prompted the suspension of rail services between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia, according to the BBC.

Emergency services, including firefighters and police, were deployed to the scene, while a military emergency brigade was mobilised to support rescue operations. Ambulances and medical helicopters transported injured passengers, while survivors who escaped without serious injuries were moved away from the site by bus.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez cancelled his scheduled engagements to focus on the disaster.

In a post on X, Mr Sánchez said he was “dismayed by the serious train accident in Toledo” and expressed sympathy for the victims and their families.

Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia also expressed condolences to the families of those killed and support for the injured.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe shared in the grief of the victims’ families.

Spain’s football federation postponed all 24 Copa del Rey matches scheduled for Wednesday following the crash.

AP reported that the disaster has renewed concerns about Spain’s high-speed rail network, which had been a source of national pride since its introduction in 1992.

Before this year, the country had not recorded a fatal crash on its dedicated high-speed rail lines since the network opened.

In January, 46 people were killed in another collision involving trains operated by Iryo and Renfe in southern Spain. An Iryo train derailed and struck an oncoming Renfe train, sending the first two carriages of the Renfe train down a four-metre slope.