Spain declares national mourning after second fatal train crash in months

Spain declared three days of national mourning on Thursday following a high-speed rail collision in the central province of Toledo that killed 68 people. The accident occurred just four weeks before Spanish voters head to the polls for a national election. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the crash site near the town of Urda after regional authorities confirmed the death toll and reported that dozens of injured passengers were being treated in local hospitals.

The collision involved a state-owned RENFE train striking a privately operated IRYO train from behind. Transport Minister Óscar Puente stated that human error at the central command center caused the disaster. He explained that a computer malfunction disabled the security system on a 63-kilometer stretch of track at 8:30 a.m., forcing all trains to stop. The IRYO train halted near Urda while the RENFE train stopped 25 kilometers behind it. Minutes later, dispatchers ordered the RENFE train to resume movement without speed restrictions. The moving train collided with the stationary IRYO service at 8:53 a.m.

Puente noted that the line still displayed a stop signal, meaning the train should not have moved or should have operated at reduced speed. He said the train engineers were not to blame for the crash. Workers began using cranes to move damaged carriages late on Wednesday after hundreds of emergency personnel, firefighters, police, and soldiers spent the day rescuing survivors and recovering bodies.

This is the second deadly high-speed rail disaster in Spain this year. In January, 46 people died when a train derailed and struck another moving in the opposite direction in southern Spain. Spain’s high-speed network ranks second in the world by track mileage, behind only China. The system had not suffered a fatal crash since it began operating more than 30 years ago. Last year, the network carried 45 million travelers, including millions of tourists. Spain opened its high-speed rail market to private competition in 2021, with IRYO beginning service in 2022.

Sánchez pledged an investigation into the collision and improvements to the rail network to restore public trust. He called it unacceptable for Spain to endure two high-speed accidents in the same year. The crash complicates his political outlook ahead of the first national election since 2023. Polls indicate his Socialist party faces an uphill battle against right-wing opponents. Sánchez had called for early elections earlier this month, hoping to capitalize on voter dissatisfaction with housing costs and high rents. Hours before news of the crash spread, he posted on X that there were many reasons to be optimistic about the country.

Political rivals have already responded to the incident. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the conservative Popular Party, demanded a full investigation. He said his party canceled campaign events for the day to respect the victims and their families. He added that Spaniards are asking tough questions that require answers. Santiago Abascal, the leader of the far-right Vox party, urged his followers to remain focused on holding the current government accountable. Abascal described the government as a criminal organization and promised to work until it answers for its actions in court.

Sánchez’s government now faces the task of managing the crisis while battling corruption accusations against the party and his wife, which both deny. The transport minister told reporters he was fully focused on handling the collision and did not address his future in the role. The incident has intensified scrutiny on the liberalized rail market and the central control systems that manage the country’s extensive network.