Spain Faces Second Rail Fatalities Before Election Vote
Sixty-eight people died when a high-speed train collided with a stationary one in Toledo province, prompting an investigation into signal failures four weeks before national ballots.
By Josephine Clarke ·
Spain's high-speed rail network suffered a second fatal accident this year when one train struck another from behind, killing 68 people in Toledo province.
The collision occurred on Wednesday morning at 8:53 a.m. near the town of Urda. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the site after regional authorities confirmed the death toll exceeded 60 and noted that dozens of injured passengers were being treated in local hospitals.
Spain operates the second-largest high-speed rail network in the world by track mileage, trailing only China. The system had not recorded a deadly crash since it launched more than three decades ago until January. In that earlier incident, a train derailed and hit an oncoming vehicle in southern Spain, killing 46 people. The network carried 45 million travelers last year.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente attributed the latest crash to a command error following a technical failure. He stated that a computer malfunction caused a security system to stop working on a 63-kilometer stretch of track at 8:30 a.m., halting all trains. An IRYO train stopped near Urda, while a state-owned RENFE train remained 25 kilometers behind. Minutes later, central command ordered the RENFE train to restart without speed restrictions, despite an active stop signal.
Puente said the engineers were not at fault and described the order to move as inexplicable. He noted the train should have remained stopped or moved at reduced speed. Emergency crews, including firefighters, police, and soldiers, worked through the day to rescue survivors. Cranes began removing damaged train sections late Wednesday.
The accident lands four weeks before Spain's first national election since 2023. Polls indicate Prime Minister Sánchez faces a challenging race. His government declared three days of mourning starting Thursday. Sánchez called for an investigation and safety upgrades to rebuild public trust. He stated, "It is not acceptable for a country like Spain to endure two high-speed train accidents in the same year."
Opposition leaders reacted sharply to the crash. Popular Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo demanded a full investigation and canceled his party's campaign events for the day. He said, "This is the moment to respect the dead, the injured and their families." Far-right Vox leader Santiago Abascal criticized the government, calling it a criminal organization. Sánchez and other progressive parties had planned to focus their campaign on housing costs and rent prices.
Source: WEPR
