Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Spain would respond firmly if investigators find negligence or rail safety failures after the Oct. 28 collision near Urda, where regional authorities reported a provisional toll of 68 deaths.
Castilla-La Mancha's regional government reported that 44 of the dead were aboard the Iryo train and 24 were on Renfe's Madrid-Seville AVE service. It also reported more than 100 injured. Renfe said the collision occurred between Los Yébenes and Urda, in Toledo province.
Sánchez said railway investigators, judicial authorities and the transport ministry were working to establish what happened. He named aid for victims and their families and finding the cause as priorities, and said the government would take steps to restore confidence in high-speed rail. The cause has not been established.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente's preliminary account, reported by RTVE and El País, described communications trouble that disabled the LZB safety system. Puente also said controllers authorized the Renfe train to resume normal movement while the Iryo train was stopped, the outlets reported. This was a preliminary account, not an investigation finding.
Sánchez referred to the Jan. 18 Adamuz collision involving an Iryo train and a Renfe Alvia. The Transport Ministry recorded 46 deaths and 122 injuries in that crash. Sánchez called it “unacceptable” for Spain to face two serious high-speed rail accidents in one year.
Spain declared three days of official mourning beginning Oct. 29 and ending Oct. 31.
