Survivors recount 'split-second' horror of Spain train crash
Survivors describe the moment a Madrid–Seville train hit a stalled train near Urda, as leaked audio raises questions about the decision to let it proceed.
Urda — Survivors of Spain's deadliest rail crash in years have described the moment their high-speed train from Madrid to Seville struck a stationary train on the same line on Wednesday morning, killing at least 68 people and injuring dozens more near the town of Urda, south of the capital.
Josimar Medina, a 37-year-old tourist from Peru, told The Guardian he woke a little before 9am to find himself thrown through the air inside his carriage. "I remember flying through the air and looking for my girlfriend, who was also shooting through the air," he said. When he landed, he saw badly injured passengers all around him.
The state-run Renfe train, carrying 397 passengers, hit an Iryo train with 147 people on board that had stalled some 25km up the line after a reported computer failure in the automatic signalling system, according to the BBC. Iryo said its train was "struck from behind". France 24 reported the toll was likely to rise, calling it one of Europe's deadliest such disasters this century.
Audio recordings published by Spanish outlets including El País and RTVE appear to show the Renfe train was cleared to proceed at normal speed under a back-up signalling system, even though the Iryo driver had told the control centre his train remained stationary at the entry signal at Urda. Transport minister Óscar Puente called the decision to restart the trains without speed restrictions "inexplicable".
The crash is the second deadly rail accident in Spain in ten months, and it has sharpened a political argument. Irene Montero of Podemos said drivers and experts had warned for years against liberalising the railway; others criticised the leaking of the recordings as "despicable". Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, visiting the site, said authorities were working "day and night" to establish "every last detail of this tragedy" and to strengthen safety so it never happens again.
Spain has begun three days of national mourning, and most parties have suspended campaigning ahead of the snap election on 29 November. For the families gathered near Urda and the injured in hospital, the wait now is for names confirmed, and for an investigation to explain how two trains were ever allowed onto the same stretch of track.
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