High-speed train hits a stopped train south of Madrid, killing at least 68High-speed train hits a stopped train south of Madrid, killing at least 68

A high-speed train run by Renfe, Spain's state-owned rail company, ran into the back of a stopped train run by the private operator Iryo on the Madrid–Seville line on Wednesday morning, October 28, near Urda in Toledo province, about 140 km (87 miles) south of Madrid. At least 68 people were killed, 44 on the Iryo train and 24 on the Renfe train, the regional government said. More than 500 people were on board the two trains. As of 8:15 p.m. Eastern Time (1:15 a.m. in Spain), the count was still 68, and officials said it could rise.

Transport Minister Óscar Puente gave a preliminary account: a computer failure in the line's LZB safety system stopped six trains, and the control center run by Adif, the state-owned network manager, then let the trains move again without speed limits, including the Renfe train, while the Iryo train was still stopped ahead. He called that decision "inexplicable" and said the drivers were not responsible. Iryo said its train was struck from behind "due to causes that are still unknown." A court in Orgaz is investigating, and no investigation has reported a cause.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the site, and his government declared three days of official mourning. Sánchez said "we will get to the bottom of this, and if there has been any negligence, it will come to light." The public-sector union CSIF called for Puente to resign, saying he had made a control center worker a scapegoat; Puente said he would not resign. Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo said Spain "has the right to know what is happening with its infrastructure." It is Spain's second deadly high-speed crash this year, after 46 people died near Adamuz in January, and it comes a month before the November 29 general election.