Four system failures caused the high-speed train crash in Spain that killed at least 69 people, a report finds
Pedro Sánchez, whose government's preliminary AITAT report found the Renfe train was travelling at between 99 mph and 124 mph before striking the stationary Iryo service.Transport minister Óscar Puente at his press conference, where he rejected calls to resign, saying "the easy thing would be to leave" but that Pedro Sánchez had asked him to stay and fix the problem.Wrecked carriages thrown down an embankment near Urda, Toledo, after controllers directed a Renfe train to resume at full speed into a stationary Iryo service carrying 147 passengers.Antonio Acedo, the train driver who died in the crash, which left more than 100 others injured and drew victims from 23 different countries.
Spain's transport minister Óscar Puente told a press conference that traffic controllers in Madrid authorised a moving passenger train to accelerate to roughly 100mph directly toward a stationary train on the same track, despite live displays showing both positions for 17 minutes. The LZB automatic safety system failed at 8:31am on Wednesday, forcing controllers onto emergency manual protocols — but Puente said they "had a clear view of what was happening" and missed multiple chances to halt the approaching train.
Cambridge biologist Dr Marta Shahbazi, 41 and mother of two, remains missing; she was seated in the front carriage travelling to collect an award.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez admitted 'trust in high-speed rail has been broken,' with the disaster striking just weeks before Spain's November 29 general election.
Spain is considering suspending the busy Madrid-Barcelona line for up to two years to carry out safety upgrades, though Puente refused to resign.
