Spain enters mourning after high-speed train collision kills 69 people

Spain has begun three days of national mourning following a high-speed train crash that killed at least 69 people, France 24, thejournal.ie, The Times, and ITVX reported. The rear-end collision between two trains occurred in central Spain, according to France 24 and thejournal.ie. The Irish Times reported that the disaster also left more than 100 people injured. [1][2][3][6][7]

Search teams equipped with sniffer dogs continued searching for victims on Thursday morning, thejournal.ie reported. Emergency workers used cranes to move wreckage and carried bodies from the scene in a rural area of Toledo province, thejournal.ie and The Irish Times said. Police and soldiers aided the search efforts along a gravel slope, according to thejournal.ie. [2][3]

The crash marks the second high-speed rail disaster in Spain this year, France 24, thejournal.ie, and The Irish Times reported. The event has raised fresh concerns regarding the safety of the country rail network, according to France 24 and thejournal.ie. The train drivers union is proceeding with a planned strike despite the collision, The Irish Times reported. [1][2][3]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, a high-speed Renfe train struck the rear of a stationary train in Toledo province, prompting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to promise a safety review and announce national mourning. Investigators have been looking into a command issued from a rail control centre in Madrid, FTMQ News previously reported. [10][11]