Two high-speed trains collide south of Madrid, killing at least 68

At least 68 people were killed when two high-speed trains collided in Castilla-La Mancha, south of Madrid, on Wednesday morning. Spain's health minister, Monica Garcia, said 80 people were injured, 15 of them very seriously. The head of the regional government, Emiliano García-Page, confirmed the toll of 68.

According to DW, a Renfe train hit the back of a stationary train operated by Iryo. Renfe said its train crashed into the Iryo train, which had remained stationary for reasons the company said it does not know. Iryo said it activated emergency protocols, and the infrastructure manager Adif did not respond to requests for comment, The Independent reported.

Transport Minister Oscar Puente said the Renfe service was authorised to proceed despite an active red signal, because there was a stationary train ahead. He said the red signal was issued because of a computer communications failure, and that an erroneous decision was then taken to restart the Renfe train. DW reported that Puente described it as an inexplicable decision to let one train continue after an automatic control system failed, and said the train travelled about 25 kilometres before the impact.

Emergency crews searched the wreckage overnight for survivors and bodies, using cranes to move metal. A British tourist rescued from the Renfe train said carriages were smashed and there was blood everywhere. Red Cross workers offered support at the site. Authorities are collecting DNA samples from relatives in Madrid, Toledo, Cordoba and Seville to help identify the missing.

In the nearby town of Urda, residents moved quickly to help. Pharmacist Antonio Garcia, 78, was among the first at the scene and brought first aid materials, painkillers, tranquillisers and blankets from his pharmacy. The town's sports hall became a centre for survivors and the primary school was reserved for relatives of the victims. A woman named Ana said her husband was on one of the trains and his name was not on any list.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited the site and pledged a full investigation and measures to strengthen rail safety. He said: "It is not acceptable for a country like Spain to endure two high-speed train accidents in the same year." He added that the causes of the two crashes appeared to be unrelated. In January, 46 people died when a high-speed train derailed and collided with another in Andalusia, on an accident involving the same companies on the same line, according to The Independent.

The crash is the deadliest train accident in Europe since the 2013 derailment in Santiago de Compostela, which killed 80 people. Spain's general election is on November 29, and the opposition People's Party cancelled all its campaign events for the day. European Commission data cited by The Independent shows Spain's maintenance investment in its roughly 4,000 km of high-speed lines has lagged other large European countries.