Death toll in Spain train crash rises to 68 as Sanchez vows full investigation

The death toll from a collision between two high-speed trains in central Spain rose to at least 68 on Wednesday, as Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez pledged a thorough investigation into the disaster.

Speaking at the crash site in Urda, Toledo, Sanchez said authorities would determine the cause of the accident and take action if wrongdoing was uncovered, Spanish news agency EFE reported.

“We will get to the bottom of this. If there has been negligence, it will be known,” he said.

Sanchez announced three days of national mourning from Oct. 29 to 31, saying it was “unacceptable for a country like Spain” to experience two high-speed rail accidents in a single year.

He referred to another train crash in Adamuz, Cordoba, in January.

The prime minister said preliminary indications suggested the two accidents had different causes, but stressed that determining this was the responsibility of independent investigators and judicial authorities.

He pledged decisive measures to restore public confidence in Spain’s railway system if safety shortcomings were identified.

Meanwhile, opposition People’s Party leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo demanded “immediate” government and judicial investigations, insisting they be conducted “with all available resources and without interference.”

Feijoo said Spain “has the right to know what is happening with its infrastructure,” calling for a comprehensive, independent review of the country’s entire railway network.

He declined to discuss political responsibility for the disaster, saying it was not the day to do so.

A minute of silence will be held at 8 pm local time (1900GMT) on Wednesday at town halls across Spain to honor the victims, according to the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, which organized the tribute.