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At least 68 dead after a high-speed train slams into a stopped train in Spain
A Renfe train hit the back of a stopped Iryo train on the Madrid-Seville line. Spain's transport minister says it was told to go despite a red signal.
At least 68 people were killed Wednesday when one high-speed train slammed into the back of another that had stopped on the tracks in central Spain, the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha said. Another 68 people were hurt. At least 15 of them are in serious condition.
The crash happened near Urda in Toledo province on the high-speed line between Madrid and Seville. A train run by state-owned Renfe hit a train run by the private operator Iryo. There were more than 500 people on board the two trains.
It is the second major crash on the line this year. Officials warned the death toll could still change.
Told to go on a red signal
Transport Minister Oscar Puente said a computer failure at Urda triggered a red signal for trains in the area.
Even so, he said, the Renfe train was told at 8:36 a.m. to resume its trip "with normality." The Iryo train was stopped on the tracks ahead. Puente called the decision "inexplicable."
The Renfe train traveled about 25 kilometers before the crash at 8:53 a.m. It was going more than 100 kilometers per hour, about 60 mph, when it hit.
A country in mourning
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Spain was "in mourning." Investigators are now trying to find out why the train was cleared to move.
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