At least 68 people killed by train collision in Spain

At least 68 people were killed, and another 80 were injured in a high-speed train collision in Toledo, Spain, on Oct. 28, derailing several carriages and creating extensive wreckage that officials are searching for survivors. 

The collision is the deadliest rail crash in Europe since 2013, according to Reuters. 

“Spain is in mourning,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Oct. 28. “We extend all our solidarity to the families of the victims and to the injured, to whom we wish a speedy recovery. Our main priority is the victims.” 

He commended the efforts of the emergency services and said that the origins of the crash are under investigation. 

According to Spain’s Transport Minister Oscar Puente, the crash occurred after a train was mistakenly authorized to continue, despite a red signal flagging a stationary train ahead, Reuters reported. 

One of the trains was operated by Spain’s railway company Renfe and the other, which was stationary, was operated by private company Iryo; 544 passengers in total were on the trains at the time of the collision, which occurred shortly after 9 a.m. local time, according to Northeastern Global News. The Renfe train crashed into the back of the stationary one after the authorization was given. 

Puente described it as an “inexplicable” order from a central command center after a computer malfunction caused all trains within a stretch of about 39 miles to come to a stop, according to AP News. Because a red signal was active, the train should not have been told to begin moving again, or if it had been told it at least should have been advised to continue at reduced speed, Puente said. 

“I am not attributing responsibility to anyone, I am just stating the facts,” Puente said, according to the outlet. 

Reuters reports that ambulances, funeral home vans, and helicopters were at the scene, and rescue workers were going carriage by carriage to look for victims. 

Renfe said its train crashed into the stationary one “for reasons we don’t know,” saying its train “continued on its way as instructed, and a collision occurred,” according to Reuters. 

The train company added, “The exact sequence of events, the traffic conditions and the circumstances of the impact will have to be established by the investigation.”

In the wake of the tragedy, the religious order the Society of Jesus — whose founder St. Ignatius of Loyola grew up in Spain — urged the faithful to pray for the victims, their families, and those caring for them. 

“Keep them in mind,” the Jesuit order said in a statement, “place their names — though we may not know them — before God, and ask that they find strength and comfort in the midst of a situation they never imagined living through.”

Archbishop Francisco Cerro Chaves of Toledo has also requested for all churches in the archdiocese to ring bells at noon on Oct. 29 as a sign of mourning. 

Archbishop Chaves and Toledo Auxiliary Bishop Francisco César García Magán issued a statement expressing closeness to all those mourning and affected by the tragedy. 

“Both prelates entrust the victims and their families to the Lord, offering prayers for those who have been injured and for all those experiencing moments of distress and uncertainty as a result of this accident,” the archdiocese of Toledo said in a statement.

The prelates also expressed gratitude for the first responders and security personnel responding to the tragedy, the statement continued, noting that the archdiocese also offers its ongoing support and accompaniment to those affected. “The diocesan Church of Toledo shares in the pain and concern caused by this event and invites the faithful to offer prayers for those affected, their families, and all those responding to this situation.”