Castilla-La Mancha’s regional government put the provisional death toll at 68 in an official statement after two high-speed trains collided in Toledo province on Wednesday, Oct. 28.
Sánchez said the investigation must establish what caused the collision and pledged decisive action if investigators identify negligence or safety-system failures. His remarks named an “Independent Railway Accident Investigation Commission”; the statutory investigative body active in October 2026 is AITAT, the Independent Administrative Authority for the Technical Investigation of Railway, Maritime and Civil Aviation Accidents and Incidents. He also pointed to judicial authorities and reviews by Adif and Renfe.
The government set official mourning for Oct. 29 through Oct. 31.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente said an LZB failure preceded the control center’s decision to let Renfe’s AVE train resume movement despite a red signal. He called the decision “inexplicable,” according to Puente’s account of the red-signal clearance. Investigators had not established the cause.
Sánchez also referenced a January high-speed rail crash near Adamuz, Córdoba. The Spanish government said 46 people died in that crash, covered in EconoTimes’ report on the January Adamuz crash.
