Train crash kills 69 in Spain
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on France 24 and IOL
A train crash in Spain has killed 69 people after a high-speed train struck another from behind. The country has begun three days of mourning, while the disaster has renewed concerns about rail safety ahead of national elections, according to France 24 Afrique. IOL reports more than 100 injured and says it is Spain’s worst rail accident since 2013.
The crash occurred at 8.53am on Wednesday near the village of Urda, about 130 kilometres south of Madrid. The Renfe train, operated by the state-owned company and carrying nearly 400 passengers, struck a stationary train operated by private company Iryo, which had 152 people on board. The two trains had left Madrid’s Atocha station for Seville, according to IOL.
At about 8.30am, a failure in the LZB automatic signalling system caused six trains to stop on a 69-kilometre stretch. Traffic control was then transferred to the Madrid centre, which authorised the Renfe train to resume its journey. Transport Minister Oscar Puente called the decision “inexplicable”, noting that a red light should have kept the train stationary while the Iryo train was still on the same track, IOL reports.
The force of the impact threw two carriages of the Iryo train onto an embankment, where they were partially torn apart. The accident is Spain’s deadliest rail disaster since the Santiago de Compostela derailment, which killed 80 people in 2013. A collision between two high-speed trains in Andalusia also killed 46 people in January, according to IOL.
An inquiry will examine infrastructure maintenance and passenger safety. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez promised to establish all the details and strengthen safety measures. Rail traffic remains suspended between Madrid and Andalusia; Renfe plans to provide replacement transport from Friday, ahead of the All Saints’ Day weekend, according to IOL.
