'Human error' likely behind Spain train crash that killed 50
What's the story
Nearly 50 people have been reportedly killed in Spain's Toledo province after a high-speed train crashed into the rear of another train that had stopped, causing two carriages to derail. Esther Padilla, a spokeswoman for regional government of Castilla-La Mancha, told public broadcaster TVE the collision involved an AVE high-speed train operated by state railway company Renfe, travelling from Madrid to Seville, and another operated by private rail company Iryo. The Renfe train rear-ended the Iryo train.
Investigation underway
Preliminary investigations point to main signaling system failure
Spanish authorities suspect "possible human error" by a railway operator as the cause.
Preliminary investigations point to a breakdown of the main signaling system as a possible cause.
"A human error by an Adif operator in the face of a breakdown of the main signaling system is the possible cause of the accident," sources from the government led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told Okdiario.
This safety system is usually automated but switches to manual mode when it fails.
Probe
Iryo train flagged failure in its LZB signalling system
According to preliminary analyses, it is why the trains came to a stop when the automatic safety system failed.
Service was then restored under human control, which is where the error is believed to have happened.
El Mundo, however, reported that the Iryo train flagged a failure in its LZB signalling system shortly before the crash, but the train behind did not receive the information.
Service disruption
ADIF suspends services on affected routes
The Iryo train was carrying 147 passengers, including a baby. The AVE train was carrying 397 people.
The crash occurred at kilometer marker 118 between Mora, Orgaz, and Urda. The impact of the collision sent several carriages down an embankment.
Spain's rail infrastructure operator ADIF has suspended services on the affected routes.
Safety concerns
Second major rail tragedy in Spain in recent months
This incident is Spain's second major rail tragedy in recent months. In January, a train derailment and collision in southern Spain near Adamuz killed 46 people.
That incident was the deadliest rail disaster since 2013 when a train derailed near Santiago de Compostela, killing 80 people.
Government sources told El País that Wednesday's crash could be worse than the Adamuz rail disaster in January.