Train crash disaster that claimed 68 lives sparks violent demonstrations and clashes with riot cops in Madrid as audio of controller's 'catastrophic error' emerges
Violent demonstrations erupted in Madrid last night after a train collision near Toledo claimed 68 lives, with emerging audio revealing a controller's catastrophic error.
The tragic incident occurred when a Renfe train travelling from Madrid to Seville collided with a stationary Iryo train near Toledo shortly before 9am on Wednesday. The collision derailed three carriages, leaving 68 people dead and more than 100 injured in scenes described as 'apocalyptic' by survivors.
This marks Spain's third deadly railway disaster this year alone, with two incidents in January claiming a total of 47 lives and injuring dozens more. The country observed a day of mourning on Thursday, with flags flying at half-mast and official ceremonies cancelled or scaled back.
Protests Turn Violent
A demonstration that began peacefully near Nuevos Ministerios at 8pm escalated into direct clashes between protesters and police. Demonstrators overturned bins, set fires, and chanted 'Pedro Sanchez is to blame' and 'Oscar Puente is a murderer,' demanding the politicians resign.
Police from the Riot Control Unit responded with pepper spray and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. Several hard-right groups, including Revuelta endorsed by VOX, have called for more demonstrations throughout Spain.
We weren't doing anything, and at one point, they pushed us violently and started telling us to leave. When they saw that many people weren't moving, they tear-gassed us. There are elderly people here.
Controller Error Emerges
Audio recordings from the control center have revealed how operators failed to warn the Renfe train driver of the impending collision. At 8.41am, the Iryo train driver reported that the LZB safety system had failed and she was stopped at the Urda entry signal.
The controller authorized her to resume normal travel despite giving the same instruction to the Renfe train approaching from behind five minutes earlier, failing to warn it of the signal failure and stopped train ahead. At 8.48am, just five minutes before the crash, the Iryo driver called again, warning she still could not restart the system.
Transport Minister Oscar Puente stated that an automatic control system went down on 69 kilometres of track, causing all trains to stop. The control center then decided to 'resume traffic in circumstances that, from our point of view, are inexplicable,' with the Renfe train travelling 25 kilometres before striking the Iryo.
Survivors Describe Horror
Surviving passengers described horrific scenes following the crash. Sebastian Herrero, 46, who was on the Iryo train, said he was 'thrown against the seats' and 'in the air for about four or five seconds,' which felt like 'a lifetime.' He added: 'There are three carriages of the Iryo, the three at the end, from which they keep taking people out and putting sheets on them. Corpses. It's apocalyptic.'
Architect Joaquín Torres described the death of a horrifically injured fellow passenger: 'I went up to a woman who said she was cold... she died in my arms. It was horrible, [she was] without legs, without arms.' One carriage caught fire and smoke poured from the mangled wreckage as emergency responders reached the scene.
It emerged that Fatima Banez, Spain's former employment minister, was among the dead. Emergency services continued combing through the wreckage overnight, with a school in Urda being used to allow relatives to inquire about their loved ones. Teams of Red Cross workers offered support to groups of people who arrived, some in tears.
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