(Photo courtesy of Anadolu)
CENEVRE – The death toll from a collision involving two high-speed trains in central Spain has climbed to at least 68, prompting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to order a thorough investigation into the disaster.
During a visit to the crash site in Urda, Toledo, on Wednesday, Sanchez assured the public that authorities would establish the cause of the collision and hold those responsible accountable if negligence was found, according to Spanish news agency EFE.
“We will get to the bottom of this. If there has been negligence, it will be known,” Sanchez said.
The prime minister declared three days of national mourning from October 29 to 31 in honor of the victims.
He described it as “unacceptable for a country like Spain” to experience two major high-speed railway accidents within the same year, referring to a separate train crash in Adamuz, Cordoba, in January.
Sanchez said preliminary findings suggested the two accidents may have resulted from different causes, although he emphasized that independent investigators and judicial authorities would make the final determination.
He also pledged to implement necessary safety reforms if the investigation uncovered weaknesses in Spain’s railway system, stressing the importance of restoring public confidence in rail transportation.
Meanwhile, opposition People’s Party leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo called for immediate government and judicial investigations into the collision.
Feijoo demanded that the inquiries be carried out “with all available resources and without interference.”
He also urged authorities to conduct a comprehensive and independent assessment of Spain’s railway infrastructure.
Feijoo said Spain “has the right to know what is happening with its infrastructure,” but declined to discuss possible political accountability while the country mourned the victims.
The Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces also announced a nationwide minute of silence at 8 p.m. local time Wednesday to honor those killed in the tragedy.
The investigation into the cause of the collision remains ongoing.
