Two high-speed trains collided and derailed in Spain, leaving at least 68 people dead and dozens injured. Preliminary suspicions suggest the accident may have been linked to a railway communications failure and human error.
The collision occurred on the line connecting Madrid and Andalusia, between the towns of Los Yebenes and Urda, in the province of Toledo. The tragedy ranks among the most serious rail accidents recorded in the country.
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Authorities say at least 58 people were injured, 15 of them critically. The death toll may change as rescue teams continue searching the wrecked carriages.
The state-owned Renfe’s AVE train had left Madrid for Seville at 08:00 when it collided with an Iryo train. More than 540 passengers are believed to have been aboard the two trains.
Iryo said its train, service number 6076, was hit from behind at around 08:45. The exact cause of the collision has not yet been determined.
Spain’s Transport Minister, Oscar Puente, said the Renfe train had been given permission to proceed even though a red signal had been activated on the line. The signal had turned red because a train ahead was stopped.
According to Puente, the signal was triggered by a problem with the computer system, which automatically stops trains in certain circumstances. It is suspected that a subsequent decision to allow the Renfe train to continue was made in error. These details are preliminary; the official investigation will determine responsibility.
A fault in the computer communications system and human error are among the possible causes being examined. Investigations to establish exactly what happened are ongoing.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez pledged that any “failure in the safety system” would be addressed and that the necessary measures would be taken.
He also referred to a fatal rail accident on the same line, in which 48 people died earlier this year.
“For now, it appears that the causes of the two accidents have nothing in common, but it is not for me to determine that—it is for the investigation.”
Sanchez said everything possible must be done to restore public confidence in the high-speed rail network.
“It is unacceptable for a country like Spain to experience two high-speed train accidents in the same year,” the prime minister said.
He also announced three days of national mourning in honor of the victims, beginning tomorrow.
