In brief
At least 68 people died when a Renfe AVE high‑speed train struck a stationary Iryo carriage near Urda. South Korean nationals were among the injured, with one having minor injuries and the other hospitalized. Spanish authorities are probing control‑center errors; the incident prompted royal condolences and three days of national mourning.
At 6:40 a.m. Thursday, a Renfe AVE high‑speed train struck a stationary Iryo carriage near the small town of Urda in Spain’s Toledo province, killing at least 68 people and injuring roughly two hundred.
According to Yonhap, two South Korean passengers were among those injured. One sustained minor injuries and was discharged after treatment, while the other remains hospitalized.
Al Jazeera reports that the crash killed 68 people and injured about 80 passengers. UPI cites around a hundred injured, including two South Koreans identified by the Korean embassy. Both sources confirm the death toll but provide different injury estimates.
Spanish transport authorities are investigating the cause. UPI notes that a computer failure, which initially paused six moving trains, allowed a Renfe train to depart despite a red signal, leading to the collision. Al Jazeera highlights investigations into signalling failures, but the exact cause remains unconfirmed.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said at the crash site,
Today the whole of Spain is grieving.
Sánchez announced that Spain would observe three days of official mourning from October 29 to 31.
Other governments, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia, have issued condolences, while the Spanish king and foreign ministries have expressed sympathy for the victims’ families and the injured.
