Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has declared three days of national mourning after at least 68 people were killed and dozens more injured in an “unexplained” collision between two high-speed trains.
“Today, all of Spain is grieving,” Sánchez said while visiting the crash site on Wednesday. He confirmed the period of national mourning to honor the victims of the tragedy, which included foreign nationals.
He also called for increased safety measures to restore public confidence in a high-speed rail system that has long been a source of national pride.
The collision occurred on Wednesday morning in the central province of Toledo. Both trains were carrying hundreds of passengers and traveling in the same direction from Madrid to Seville in southwestern Spain when one slammed into the rear of the other, which had come to a stop.
"It is unacceptable for a country like Spain to suffer two high-speed rail accidents in the same year," Sánchez insisted.
The first major deadly train accident in Spain this year occurred on January 18, when another high-speed passenger train derailed in the municipality of Adamuz, in the province of Córdoba.
Spain has historically prided itself on its extensive and highly regarded rail network.
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website