The railway accident in Spain has claimed at least 68 lives, while dozens of other people have been injured. At the same time, audio recordings published by Spanish media have brought to light conversations between the train drivers and the control center during the minutes leading up to the collision.
The incident occurred on Wednesday morning, when a train traveling from Madrid to Seville collided with another train that had stopped on the tracks.
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According to material published by El Pais, RTVE and other Spanish media outlets, the high-speed train was instructed to continue along its route, while a stationary train was located about 25 kilometers farther on.
The private company Iryo’s train had stopped near Urda after experiencing a failure in its computer system. The railway control center in Madrid had been tasked with managing the situation.
In one of the recordings, the control center operator can be heard telling the driver of the state-owned Renfe train to continue normally, as some technical difficulties had been identified.
“Continue your journey and then follow the trackside signals, at normal speed and under normal operating conditions,” the operator says in the recording.
When the driver asks for confirmation as to whether he should maintain normal speed, the operator replies: “Yes.”
Another communication shows that the driver of the Iryo train had informed the control center that he had lost connection with the train control system. He also reported that the train had remained stationary in Urda.
“The train is stopped before the entry signal at Urda,” the driver can be heard reporting.
After several conversations, he was asked to resume the journey. But in a later phone call, the driver explained that the train still could not move because the safety system did not allow him to control its functions.
The final audio recording has raised questions about what information the control center had regarding the position and condition of the Iryo train as the Renfe train approached it.
According to Iryo, its train, carrying 147 passengers, was hit from behind by the Renfe train, which was carrying 397 passengers.
Spain’s Transport Minister, Oscar Puente, described the order for the trains to continue without speed restrictions as “inexplicable.”
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez meanwhile declared that “all of Spain is in mourning,” offering his condolences to the victims and their families.
Throughout the night, emergency teams continued working at the accident site. Special equipment was used to cut through the damaged carriages and recover the victims.
Spain’s Interior Ministry said that hundreds of personnel took part in the operation, while the search efforts were also supported by drones and helicopters.
For one of the most serious railway accidents in modern European history, Spain declared three days of national mourning. The investigation is continuing to clarify the causes of the tragedy and any possible liability.
