Second Spanish Rail Crash Kills 68

Sixty-eight people died in a high-speed rail collision in central Spain on Wednesday, marking the second fatal accident on the network this year.

The crash occurred in the province of Toledo when a RENFE train struck a stationary IRYO train from behind. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the site near the town of Urda after local officials confirmed the death toll and reported that dozens of injured survivors were being treated in hospitals. The government declared three days of national mourning starting Thursday.

Spain's high-speed rail system ranks second in the world by track mileage, behind only China. The network had operated without a deadly crash for over three decades until January of this year. In January, 46 people died when a train derailed and collided with an oncoming train in southern Spain. The system carried 45 million travelers last year, including millions of tourists.

Sánchez stated that the government would launch an investigation to reinforce safety measures. "It is clear that we need to reinforce the safety of our train service to rebuild the trust in our high-speed rail," he said. He added that it is not acceptable for Spain to endure two such accidents in the same year. Both incidents this year involved a state-owned RENFE train and a private IRYO train, which began service in 2022 after the market was liberalized in 2021.

Transport Minister Óscar Puente attributed the crash to a human error in the central command center rather than the train engineers. At 8:30 a.m., a computer malfunction stopped a security system on a 63-kilometer stretch of track, causing all trains to stop. The IRYO train halted near Urda, while the RENFE train stopped 25 kilometers behind it. Minutes later, command instructed the RENFE train to resume motion without speed restrictions. The train collided with the stationary IRYO vehicle at 8:53 a.m. Puente noted that a stop signal remained active on the line.

The accident complicates the political landscape for Sánchez ahead of the national vote scheduled for next month. Polls indicate his Socialist party faces an uphill battle. Sánchez had called for early elections earlier in the month, hoping to capitalize on public dissatisfaction with housing costs. Right-wing rivals are using the disaster to question the government's management. Popular Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo demanded a full investigation and canceled campaign events for the day. Far-right Vox leader Santiago Abascal criticized the government, calling it a criminal organization.

Emergency workers, firefighters, police, and soldiers spent Wednesday clearing the site. Cranes began moving damaged train parts late in the day after crews rescued survivors and recovered bodies.