Spain holds state funeral for 69 victims of Toledo train crash

Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia joined relatives of the victims for a state funeral on Tuesday 10 November, following a high-speed train collision near Urda that killed 69 people. Al Jazeera and Euronews both reported that the royal couple attended the solemn Mass alongside mourning family members. [1][3]

The service took place inside Toledo's 13th-century cathedral, held nearly two weeks after the disaster. Euronews reported that residents of Urda placed 69 burning candles near the altar to represent each person who died. A 16th-century sculpture of Christ was also transported from Urda specifically for the funeral ceremony. [1]

The cathedral is the Primatial Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption and serves as the seat of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Toledo. It sits within the UNESCO World Heritage-listed historic city of Toledo. [13][15]

The disaster occurred on 28 October when a high-speed train hit a stopped train. As FTMQ News reported earlier, the crash killed 69 people, injured more than 180 others, and marked Spain's second fatal high-speed train accident of the year. [1][17]