Spain's king and queen attend memorial service for rail crash victims

Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia were among those who have attended a memorial service in tribute to the 69 victims of last month's deadly train crash.

The accident occurred when one train, travelling at high speed, ploughed into the back of another that was stationary on the Madrid-Seville line, near the small town of Urda, about 40 miles from Toledo.

It was the worst rail tragedy in Spain since 2013. Twenty-eight people remain in hospital.

"The tragic accident in Urda has left our families, our towns and our society with a pain that is difficult to accept," Archbishop Cerro Chaves told those present.

Representatives of those killed carried lit candles to the front of the cathedral and placed them next to the main altar. The first reading of the service was by Ana Benítez, sister of David Benítez, a 38-year-old father-of-two who died.

The king and queen were met with applause by bystanders as they entered the cathedral and at the end of the service, after Catholic Mass, they spoke to relatives of the victims.

Senior politicians also attended the service, including the leader of the opposition People's Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the president of the Castilla-La Mancha region, Emiliano García-Page, and Transport and Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo.

Cuerpo took on the transport portfolio following the resignation last week of Óscar Puente from the post.