Urda crash: 69 dead and what is known about the failures

The death toll from the collision of an AVE and an Iryo train near Urda (Toledo) has risen to 69. Investigators are examining why, in the 23 minutes after the main safety system failed, the AVE moved on and hit the stationary Iryo.

Both trains had left Madrid’s Atocha station for Seville. According to Transport Minister Óscar Puente’s first explanations, the chain began with a failure of LZB, the system that constantly checks a train’s speed via a cable along the track and brakes if it risks catching up with the train ahead. The back-up ASFA system can trigger emergency braking at a red signal. Why these safeguards were not enough is the key question; the independent accident investigation body (AITAT) stresses that all hypotheses remain open. Forensic teams have completed at least 48 autopsies and identified the first victims; about 200 passengers were treated in hospital.

For Costa Blanca residents: the government declared three days of official mourning, and the councils of Alicante, Torrevieja and Orihuela cancelled or postponed municipal events until 31 October. The Madrid–Andalusia high-speed line remains closed; see the related news for ticket refunds and passenger rights.