Spain's high-speed train crash kills 64; Prime Minister Sánchez says 'shocked by accident'; human error?

[Paris Current Affairs] On the 28th, two high-speed trains collided in the central Spanish province of Toledo, leaving at least 64 people dead and 80 seriously injured, according to Spanish media. Casualties may increase.

The accident occurred on a route from the capital Madrid to Seville in the south. It is believed that a train operated by the private high-speed railway ``Iryo'' that was stopped near the station was rear-ended by a train operated by the Japanese National Railways. Several cars derailed and at least two fell down an embankment.

According to the Pais newspaper (electronic version), several trains in the vicinity of the accident were temporarily stopped due to a system malfunction before the accident. Even after the train restarted, Iryo trains did not move, but it was said that there was a ``human error'' in which a JNR train was mistakenly given permission to proceed.

One passenger on the JNR explained to local media, ``The brakes were applied so violently that I was thrown onto the floor (of the train) and rolled.'' Another passenger recalled, ``We escaped by breaking the window of the vehicle.It was a horrible experience that cannot be described in words.''

Prime Minister Sánchez posted on social media that he was "shocked by the serious train accident." He said rescue operations were underway at the scene.

According to the Japanese Embassy in Spain, there is no information that any Japanese nationals were involved in the accident.

In Spain, more than 40 people were killed in January when two high-speed trains collided in Adams, southern Spain.