Spain’s Oct. 28 high-speed train crash has killed 69 people, and investigators are examining how rail staff handled traffic after a communications fault disrupted an automatic train-protection system.
Castile-La Mancha President Emiliano Garcia-Page announced that the toll had reached 69 and said 50 people remained hospitalized.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente said a 63-kilometer stretch lost LZB protection after a communications fault; he said the outage automatically stopped an estimated six trains. Adif, Spain’s rail infrastructure manager, then directed train movements manually. Puente’s preliminary account of the control-room sequence said the Renfe service was cleared to move again while the Iryo train was still stationary. Investigators have not established the cause.
In reviewing a separate 2024 incident in Cuenca, Spain’s rail accident investigation commission found that a controller’s visual confirmation of a clear track had been the final barrier against a collision. The commission called for additional technical safeguards, broadcaster Cadena SER reported.
At a joint news conference, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pledged to clarify what happened and strengthen rail safety.
