Spain's Second High-Speed Rail Tragedy in Less Than a Year
A high-speed train crash in central Spain has left at least 68 people dead and 80 injured, with officials blaming a control centre order for the disaster. The accident occurred on Wednesday, just before 9am, near the town of Urda, south of Madrid, when a Renfe train ploughed into the back of a stationary Iryo train. The crash is the second high-speed rail disaster in Spain in less than a year, and comes just weeks before national elections.
According to the government of Castilla-La Mancha, the Renfe train was carrying 397 people, while the Iryo train had 147 passengers on board. The two trains were travelling from Madrid to Seville when the accident occurred on a raised section of track between Urda and the neighbouring town of Los Yebenes.
The authorities have launched an investigation into the crash, with Transport Minister Oscar Puente saying that the accident was caused by an "inexplicable" order from the control centre after a signalling system failure. The main signalling system, LZB, had failed, and the backup system did not detect the stop signal, allowing the Renfe train to speed up to over 200km/h before colliding with the stationary Iryo train.
The crash has sparked widespread outrage, with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez declaring three days of national mourning and vowing to get to the bottom of the disaster. The incident has also taken on a political dimension, with opposition parties calling for a full investigation and the resignation of Transport Minister Puente.
