The collision in Toledo killed 68 people and left dozens hospitalized after a rear-end collision between trains operated by RENFE and IRYO. Investigators point to human error involving an inexplicable command center directive after a computer glitch disabled rail security along a 63-kilometer stretch. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declared three days of national mourning while pledging sweeping infrastructure improvements. The incident disrupts Sánchez's planned economic campaign messaging as conservative and far-right rivals seize on the administration's transit oversight.
Key points
The tragedy marks the second deadly high-speed rail crash in Spain this year following a…: The tragedy marks the second deadly high-speed rail crash in Spain this year following a fatal January derailment.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente attributed the collision to human error stemming from a c…: Transport Minister Óscar Puente attributed the collision to human error stemming from a central command center order.
Opposition leaders are using the transportation crisis to increase political pressure on…: Opposition leaders are using the transportation crisis to increase political pressure on the ruling Socialist party ahead of the vote.
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URDA, Spain — Spain's second high-speed rail disaster this year, a crash in which one train struck another from behind, killing 68 people, has raised fresh concerns about the safety of the country's rail network.
Spain's network of high-speed rail has been considered one of the nation's crowning achievements. It ranks second to China in track mileage in the world. Until this year, it had not endured a deadly crash since coming into service over three decades ago.
The collision Wednesday that turned a sleepy stretch of rail lined by olive groves into a scene of carnage came just four weeks before the country votes in a national election.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the crash site in the central province of Toledo after regional authorities confirmed that more than 60 people had died and dozens more were being treated at hospitals.
Only in January, 46 people had died when one train jumped the track and slammed into the side of another going the opposite way in southern Spain.
Sánchez pledged an investigation into the latest collision and improvements…
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