Spain Train Crash Kills 68 On Madrid Line

A high-speed train struck the back of another stopped train on the Madrid-Seville line Wednesday morning, killing at least 68 people and injuring 80, according to the spokesman for the Castilla-La Mancha regional government. Two cars derailed in the collision.

The Iryo train carried 146 passengers and one infant. The Renfe 2080 train carried 397. Both left at 8 a.m. local time bound for Madrid. They collided at 8:54 a.m. at kilometer marker 118 of the high-speed line, between Mora, Orgaz and Urda in Toledo province. The Renfe AVE approached from behind and hit the rear of the Iryo train, which had stopped on the same track in the same direction.

The cause is not yet known, said the spokeswoman for the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha. What is established is that the LZB safety system, which governs high-speed operations, failed Wednesday morning. That failure halted eight trains in the area.

The control center switched to manual operation and instructed trains to resume their routes. Before the crash, infrastructure manager Adif had ordered the Iryo train to stop after the automatic signaling system failed. The Atocha control center then operated in emergency manual mode and told the Renfe AVE driver to continue at normal speed. The presence of the stopped Iryo train ahead was not detected automatically, and the AVE struck its rear.

The collision occurred between Mora, Orgaz and Urda in Toledo province. The two trains had carried a combined 544 passengers. Presidential sources said the accident "could be worse" than the one at Adamuz.