Spanish PM vows full investigation into train disaster: ‘It is unacceptable for Spain to suffer two such accidents in the same year’
Pedro Sánchez says the whole country ‘is in mourning’ and praises the coordination among authorities
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez traveled to Urda, in the province of Toledo, near the site of the devastating train crash that killed at least 68 people after two high-speed trains collided early Wednesday morning. Sánchez said he had come to support emergency workers and those affected by the accident, stressing that a full investigation would be carried out.
“The objective is to clarify what happened, why it occurred,” he said, pledging to go “all the way” with the investigation into the tragedy.
Sánchez also referred to the rail accident in Adamuz, in the province of Córdoba, earlier this year, acknowledging that it was “unacceptable” for Spain to suffer two serious high-speed rail accidents in the same year.
“The transport minister, in coordination with the interior minister, and I have been trying to learn the cause of this tragedy,” he said. “I know that the Railway Accident Investigation Commission and the judicial authorities are carrying out their work, but the ministry itself is, naturally, trying to determine the cause of this tragedy.
“If there was negligence, it will come to light, and if there have been failures in the safety system, there will be a firm response,” he told reporters after receiving an updated casualty report.
The prime minister said it was clear how serious it was that Spain had suffered two major rail disasters in a single year.
“It is evident that we have suffered two high-speed tragedies. Everything indicates that the origins of the two accidents are unrelated, but that is not for me to say,” he said. “It is clear that, if we need to further strengthen safety to rebuild confidence in our rail system, we will do so. It is not acceptable for a country like Spain to suffer two rail accidents in the same year. All measures will be taken to further guarantee the safety of citizens.”
“Today Spain is in mourning. All of Spain is in mourning, and we offer our full solidarity with the families of the victims and the injured who remain hospitalized,” Sánchez said after an address by Emiliano García-Page, the premier of the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, who updated the toll to 68 dead, 15 seriously injured and 53 with less severe injuries.
“Behind each person who has died there are shattered lives, broken families, and the anguish of those families that still do not know the whereabouts of their loved ones, and there is a great deal of pain that, naturally, all of Spanish society shares,” he continued.
The government’s immediate priority, he said, “is the victims and their families: finding as many survivors as possible and providing material and psychological support to the injured and to the families affected by this terrible tragedy.”
The prime minister praised the work of public services, highlighting “the extraordinary professionalism of the emergency services and Civil Protection, as well as the excellent coordination among all institutions: the regional government, the Toledo provincial council, the town halls of Urda and Los Yébenes, and all the regional and provincial authorities that, I know, have mobilized to provide a swift response.”
Sánchez said that, after speaking with the premier of Castilla-La Mancha, the government would declare three days of official mourning. “As we did after the Adamuz accident,” he added.
The Renfe train traveled 25 kilometers (16 miles) from the moment the signaling system failed until it collided with the Iryo train. The government and all political parties, with the exception of Vox, have canceled their public agendas in response to the tragedy.
Government does not know how many people are missing
Government sources said authorities do not yet know the exact number of people missing following the crash. They do not expect to release any figures until inspections of the wrecked trains have been completed.
Sources at the emergency command center cautioned that it could take several more hours to establish the number, as there is still no definitive count of those transferred to hospitals. The figure continues to change and rise, although at a much slower pace than during the first hours after the collision, when ambulances were arriving constantly at the scene.
Government officials said that some of the victims have already been identified, but not all of them, and that they expect the death toll to rise significantly once rescuers gain full access to the damaged Iryo carriages.
Officials also believe there are foreign nationals among the victims, according to sources involved in the rescue operation. Contacts have already been established with several embassies, although authorities have not confirmed the nationalities of those affected.
Reporting by José Marcos.
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