By Islam El-Sakka
A high-speed train collision in central Spain has killed at least 68 people and injured dozens more, marking the country's deadliest rail disaster in over a decade.
Collision details
The crash occurred Wednesday morning around 09:00 local time when a Renfe-operated train traveling from Madrid to Seville struck a stationary Iryo train on the tracks approximately 140 kilometers south of Madrid. The Iryo train, carrying 147 passengers, had stopped due to a computer failure. The impact forced several carriages down an embankment, and one carriage caught fire.
Cause and investigation
Transport Minister Óscar Puente said a computer failure followed by human error caused the collision. He explained that a 24-hour control center in Madrid made an "inexplicable" decision to instruct trains to move again without speed restrictions after the system failure. The Renfe train was carrying 397 passengers.
Survivor accounts
Passengers described harrowing scenes of being thrown into the air, trapped in wreckage, and breaking windows to escape. Salvador Arriza, 62, said the force was "brutal" and some people were trapped among seats. Tangui Binier, 22, recalled suitcases flying and seeing the train "completely flipped over." Journalist Antonio Jiménez Barca described being pushed and covered in blood. Sebastián Herrero, 46, said he was airborne for seconds and saw many with broken bones.
Government response
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the site, declaring "the whole of Spain is grieving" and vowing to determine any negligence. Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo demanded transparency on infrastructure safety. Trade union CSIF called for the transport minister's resignation, accusing him of scapegoating a traffic manager. Sánchez canceled all public engagements, including campaigning for upcoming parliamentary elections.
