A railway disaster occurred Wednesday morning in the town of Urda in Toledo province in central Spain. Local authorities said at least 68 people were killed when two high-speed trains collided.
The collision occurred shortly before 9 a.m.; both trains were running on the Madrid-Seville route. A high-speed AVE train belonging to state-owned operator Renfe was given permission to proceed despite a red light because of a train operated by private carrier Iryo standing on the tracks ahead, which was a violation of protocol.
The cause of the disaster is under investigation. Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente stressed at a press conference that it was “inexplicable” that the Renfe train was authorized to proceed after an IT system failure, even though another train was on the track.
Emiliano Garcia-Page, head of the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, said, citing emergency services, that the dead include 24 people traveling on the AVE train and 44 passengers on the Iryo train. Fifty-three injured people were taken to hospitals, including 15 with serious injuries.
During a visit to the crash site, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez declared three days of national mourning and promised a thorough investigation into the causes of the tragedy. King Felipe VI expressed sorrow “over this terrible tragedy” and conveyed to the families “condolences, our sadness, support and warmth at such a difficult and painful moment.”
European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, expressed deep distress over Wednesday’s accident. President Karol Nawrocki offered condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims, and Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X that “in these difficult times all Poles are united with the Spanish nation.”
Foreign Ministry spokesman Maciej Wewiór said Wednesday that the ministry is checking media reports about the rail disaster in Spain. He said there is no information about any Poles being affected.
It is another serious rail disaster in Spain this year. In mid-January, the derailment of the last three cars of an Iryo high-speed train near Adamuz in Córdoba province led to a collision with an Alvia train traveling from Madrid to Huelva. Forty-five people were killed and 122 were injured.
After the Adamuz disaster, Spain’s right-wing opposition, including the People’s Party (PP) and the radical party Vox, sharply criticized Sanchez’s government for neglecting rail infrastructure.
The disaster in Castilla-La Mancha occurred about a month before early parliamentary elections in Spain scheduled for Nov. 29. Spanish political parties, with the exception of Vox, canceled all events planned for Wednesday as part of the ongoing campaign. (PAP)
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