Spain train crash death toll rises to 68, PM Sanchez vows probe

The death toll from a collision between two high-speed trains in central Spain rose to at least 68 on Wednesday, as prime minister Pedro Sanchez pledged a thorough investigation into the disaster, Anadolu Ajansi reported.

Speaking at the crash site in Urda, Toledo, Sanchez said authorities would determine the cause of the accident and take action if wrongdoing was uncovered, Spanish news agency EFE reported.

“We will get to the bottom of this. If there has been negligence, it will be known,” he said.

Sanchez announced three days of national mourning from Oct 29 to 31, saying it was “unacceptable for a country like Spain” to experience two high-speed rail accidents in a single year.

He referred to another train crash in Adamuz, Cordoba, in January.

The prime minister said preliminary indications suggested the two accidents had different causes, but stressed that determining this was the responsibility of independent investigators and judicial authorities.

He pledged decisive measures to restore public confidence in Spain’s railway system if safety shortcomings were identified.

Meanwhile, opposition People’s Party leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo demanded “immediate” government and judicial investigations, insisting they be conducted “with all available resources and without interference.”

Feijoo said Spain “has the right to know what is happening with its infrastructure,” calling for a comprehensive, independent review of the country’s entire railway network.

He declined to discuss political responsibility for the disaster, saying it was not the day to do so.

A minute of silence will be held at 8pm local time (1900GMT) on Wednesday at town halls across Spain to honour the victims, according to the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, which organised the tribute.