Death toll rises to 69 in Spain high-speed train collision
The death toll from a collision between two high-speed trains in central Spain has risen to 69, according to regional authorities.
The trains collided Wednesday morning near the station in Urda, in Toledo province, while traveling from Madrid to Seville. An AVE train operated by Renfe struck the rear of a stopped Iryo train. A total of 544 passengers were on board the two trains.
Castilla-La Mancha regional president Emiliano Garcaa-Page confirmed the updated death toll on Thursday morning, an increase of one from the previous night after a patient died.
Authorities believe there are no more fatalities but said work was continuing among the wreckage, where additional partial human remains have been found, Spanish broadcaster RTVE reported.
Forensic teams have received the remains of all 69 victims and completed at least 48 autopsies, according to RTVE. Five victims have been identified: three men and two women.
A total of 214 injured passengers were treated at hospitals in Castilla-La Mancha and the Madrid region. At least 60 have been discharged and at least 50 remain hospitalized, including 18 who are critically injured or remain in intensive care. Four of the critically injured patients are showing signs of improvement.
Spain began three days of national mourning on Thursday. The mourning period will continue through Saturday.
Transport Minister Oscar Puente said the government’s initial assessment pointed to human error after a railway safety system failed. The system, which monitors train speeds and can automatically slow or stop a train, went down at about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday because of a computer communication failure.
The control center for rail infrastructure operator Adif ordered the AVE to resume normal operations even though another train was stopped on the same track and a signal at Urda station was red.
RTVE reported that recordings of conversations between Adif and the drivers indicate that both trains were authorized to resume their journeys, but only the AVE did so. Why the Iryo train remained stopped and why the AVE driver was unaware of it remain under investigation.
The crash is Spain’s second major train disaster this year. In January, 46 people were killed when an Iryo train derailed onto an adjacent track and collided with an oncoming Renfe train.
