Spain is observing three days of national mourning after a high-speed train collision near Toledo killed at least 68 people, as investigators examine how a train was allowed to proceed along a line where another service remained stationary.

The crash happened on Wednesday morning near Urda, in Toledo province, about 140 kilometres south of Madrid, on the Madrid-Seville route. A high-speed AVE train operated by the state-owned Renfe railway struck the rear of a stationary train run by private operator Iryo. Several carriages derailed. The Renfe train was carrying 397 passengers and the Iryo train 147.

An "inexplicable" decision

Transport Minister Óscar Puente said a computer malfunction had disrupted a safety system along a stretch of railway, causing trains in the area to stop. He said a central control centre subsequently instructed the Renfe train to resume movement without speed restrictions, despite a stop signal remaining active — a decision he described as "inexplicable".

"The incident involved a computer failure followed by human error," Mr. Puente said. Audio recordings reported by El País have added to the scrutiny: three recordings reportedly suggest both trains were told to resume at normal speed despite the technical problem. The precise sequence of events and individual responsibilities remain matters for the official investigation.

The toll and the injured

The regional government of Castilla-La Mancha confirmed the toll of at least 68, a sharp rise from the figure reported in the first hours after the crash. More than 100 people were injured, with 58 taken to hospitals and at least 15 in critical condition. Rescue teams continued searching the wreckage as authorities worked to identify victims.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the crash site and pledged a full investigation and improvements to prevent a repeat. "It is clear that we need to reinforce the safety of our train service to rebuild the trust in our high-speed rail," he said. "It is not acceptable for a country like Spain to endure two high-speed train accidents in the same year."

A network's reputation shaken

The collision is Spain's deadliest rail disaster since Santiago de Compostela in 2013, when 80 people died, and its second deadly high-speed crash this year. In January, 46 people died when a train jumped the track and slammed into another service near Adamuz in southern Spain. Until this year, the high-speed network — second only to China's in track mileage and carrying 45 million travellers last year — had not endured a deadly crash in more than three decades.

Investigators will now analyse the trains' data and voice recorders and seize the control room's logs, while a judicial inquiry is expected to decide whether controllers face criminal charges. The disaster comes just weeks before Spain votes in a national election, and has already drawn protesters to Madrid demanding accountability. For a country proud of its railways, the question now is what changed — or did not — after January's tragedy.