Spanish high-speed train collision kills 68, prompts three days of national mourning

According to CCTV News, on the 28th local time, the key dispatch call recording of the huge high-speed rail rear-end collision in Toledo Province, Spain, was exposed. It is reported that these three core call recordings include two calls between the control center and the driver of the Iljo train that was parked on the track, and one call with the driver of the Spanish National Railways train that rear-ended. These recordings confirmed key operational errors before the accident.

The recording shows that before the incident, the operator of the 24-hour dispatch control center in Atocha, Madrid, issued a clear instruction to the Spanish National Railways train about 25 kilometers away from the Iljo train: “Disconnect, reconnect, and resume normal speed.”

It is reported that this directive directly violates relevant safety regulations. Regulations require that in system failure sections, trains should travel visually or at a speed limit of 40 km/h. In addition, the dispatcher allowed the rear train to advance at full speed without confirming that the train in front had left the section safely, which ultimately led to tragedy.

• Spanish Prime Minister declares three days of national mourning for the victims of the train collision

On October 28, local time, Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez announced that the country would observe three days of mourning starting from the 29th to commemorate the victims of the train collision.

The government of Spain’s Castile-La Mancha Autonomous Region said on the 28th that a high-speed rail train collision near its capital Toledo that morning had killed 68 people. Preliminary investigation showed that the accident was caused by human dispatch error.