Investigators find Spanish train was doing up to 124mph when it smashed into a stationary train, killing 69
Train driver Antonio Acedo, 36, who activated the emergency brake before the collision but was killed instantly when Madrid's control room directed him to resume normal speed without warning him of the stationary Iryo…Fátima Báñez, who pioneered controversial labour reforms as employment minister under Mariano Rajoy, was confirmed dead by the business confederation she chaired.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.Smoke rises from derailed carriages between Los Yébenes and Urda after the crash, which emergency crews feared could surpass the Adamuz disaster, where 46 people died in January.
State rail company Renfe gave driver Antonio Acedo, 36, clearance to maintain normal speed even though Madrid's control centre knew a stationary Iryo train was blocking the line ahead of him, near Urda, 130km south of Madrid.
Spain's accident investigation authority AITAT has released a preliminary report putting the Renfe train's speed at between 99mph and 124mph at the point of collision; the exact figure awaits analysis of black-box data.
The confirmed dead include former employment minister Fátima Báñez, 59, and long jumper Julieta Gallego, 24, while a headmaster, a composer and a TV presenter remain unaccounted for.
The disaster is hanging over next month's snap general election, heaping pressure on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to defend his government's rail safety record before voters go to the polls.
