68 Dead in Spain Rail Crash as Election Looms

Sixty-eight people died in a high-speed train collision in central Spain on Wednesday. The crash occurred in the province of Toledo, where a RENFE train struck a stationary IRYO train from behind. The incident took place on a stretch of rail lined by olive groves. It is the second deadly high-speed rail accident in Spain this year.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the site in the town of Urda. Regional authorities had confirmed more than 60 deaths and reported that dozens of injured passengers were being treated in hospitals. Sánchez declared three days of national mourning beginning Thursday. He pledged to investigate the cause and improve safety measures to restore public confidence.

"It is not acceptable for a country like Spain to endure two high-speed train accidents in the same year," Sánchez said. The high-speed rail network, which carried 45 million travelers last year, ranks second in the world for track mileage. Spain had not experienced a fatal high-speed crash in over three decades until this year.

The collision occurred just four weeks before the national election. Sánchez called for early elections earlier this month, hoping to capitalize on voter discontent over housing costs. About an hour before news of the crash spread, he posted on X that there were many reasons to be optimistic about the country.

Both fatal crashes this year involved a state-owned RENFE train and a privately owned IRYO train. Spain liberalized its high-speed rail service in 2021. IRYO began service the following year. Transport Minister Óscar Puente stated that human error at the central command center caused the crash. He said the train engineers were not to blame.

Puente explained that a computer malfunction stopped the security system on a 63-kilometer stretch of track at 8:30 a.m. All trains on that section halted. The IRYO train stopped near Urda. The RENFE train stopped 25 kilometers behind it. Minutes later, the central command told the RENFE train to resume movement without speed restrictions. It collided with the stationary IRYO train at 8:53 a.m.

Puente called the order to restart the train inexplicable because a stop signal remained active on the line. He noted the train should have been told to move at reduced speed if it was to move at all. Workers began using cranes to remove damaged parts late Wednesday. Hundreds of emergency workers, firefighters, police, and soldiers assisted in the rescue and recovery efforts.

Sánchez’s Socialist Party faces an uphill battle in the upcoming election. Right-wing parties are expected to use the disaster to attack his government. Popular Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo demanded a full investigation. He stated that his party canceled campaign events for the day to respect the victims.

"This is the moment to respect the dead, the injured and their families," Núñez Feijóo said. He added that Spaniards are asking tough questions that demand answers. Far-right Vox leader Santiago Abascal used the crash to criticize the government. He called the administration a criminal organization and promised to work until it stood in court.

Abascal said the tragedy increased the rage and despair felt by Spaniards. He suggested his party would likely enter a coalition with the conservatives. Sánchez must now address rail safety concerns alongside attacks on his migration policies and corruption accusations against his party and his wife, which both deny.