Spain, accident between trains on the Madrid-Andalusia line: dozens dead. Human error hypothesis

The collision occurred between the towns of Los Yebenes and Urda (Toledo) in Castile-La Mancha, between a convoy of the state company Renfe and a train of the private company Iryo, probably due to an error by an operator of the Railway Infrastructure Administration. Five Italians involved

Two high-speed trains collided in Spain, on the line connecting Madrid to the Andalusia region, in the south of the country, which was suspended. Several carriages derailed. The provisional toll speaks of at least 64 dead and hundreds injured, some of them very serious. Five Italian citizens were also involved, four of whom are in good condition. The two trains are a convoy of the state company Renfe and one of the private company Iryo, a subsidiary of FS International. Among the victims, 40 were traveling on the Iryo vehicle and 24 on the Renfe vehicle.

Probable human error

The collision was probably caused by human error: according to executive sources, reported by El Pais, "a human error on the part of an Adif operator - the Railway Infrastructure Administration, ed. - during a fault in the main signaling system" was assessed.

The dynamics

According to what was gathered by the technicians present on site, the Iryo AV train was stopped at the signal near Toledo following the indication of the Adif infrastructure manager due to a degradation of the LZB signaling system. The manager was providing instructions to all trains running on the line indicating the so-called "visual running" at a speed of 40 km/h. At that moment a Renfe high-speed train hit the stationary train at high speed, causing some carriages of both vehicles to leave the tracks.

The details

The collision occurred at 08:54 at kilometer 119+700 of the Madrid-Seville high-speed line, in the Urda area (Toledo), near an Adif train depot and marshalling yard. This is the second very serious accident in 10 months on the Spanish high-speed line. The Renfe train left Madrid at 8am and the route included a single scheduled stop, in Cordoba. The Iryo train - identified as convoy 6076 - carried 146 passengers and a newborn, while the Ave train - identified as convoy 2080 - had 397 passengers on board. The injured were cared for in a field hospital set up at the site of the accident, before being transferred to the hospitals of Toledo and Alcàzar de San Juan.

Emergency telephone line and psychological support activated

Renfe has activated a telephone line, the number 900 10 10 20, as part of its assistance plan for victims of train accidents and their families. The regional government of Castile-La Mancha has put emergency protocols in place. Support services for families, including psychological assistance, have been set up in Madrid-Atocha station. Medical resources also from the Andalusia region.

Parties suspend election campaigns

Spanish parties suspended their campaign initiatives following the discount. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez canceled his commitments and Transport Minister Oscar Puente immediately left for the site of the accident.