Spain's Second High-Speed Train Crash of the Year: 69 Dead

The death toll rose to 69 in Spain's second major high-speed train disaster of the year, which took place in Urda. Following the crash, which occurred when a train moving after an instruction from the central command center rear-ended another stationary train, three days of national mourning were declared in the country.

The death toll in the crash where one train rear-ended another in the central Spanish region of Urda reached 69 with a body found during the night hours. Castilla-La Mancha regional leader Emiliano García-Page stated that 50 people are receiving treatment in hospitals and authorities are working with families to identify the bodies. Three days of national mourning have been declared across the country starting Thursday.

Search and rescue teams continued searching the wreckage area with trained dogs, while cranes lifted the overturned carriages. Spanish Minister of Transport Óscar Puente stated in a press conference on Wednesday that the accident occurred after a security system failure led the central command center to order a RENFE train to resume movement without speed limits, resulting in it colliding with a stationary IRYO train at 08:53. It was noted that both fatal accidents during the year occurred on the same line between Madrid and Seville.