Filipino sustains 'minor injury' in deadly Spain train crash —PH Embassy

PRAGUE, Czech Republic – A Filipino national sustained a minor injury after a deadly train crash in Toledo, Spain, the Philippine Embassy in Spain has confirmed.

“The Embassy is closely coordinating with relevant Spanish authorities and the train operators on the Filipino nationals involved in the incident. As of this time, we have verified information of one Filipino national who sustained minor injury and was brought to a hospital for medical attention,” the embassy statement read.

The embassy also asked the families and friends of those who may have been traveling on the trains to contact the embassy hotline at +34 616 491 861 for assistance.

Two high-speed trains operated by Spanish rail companies Renfe and Iryo collided on a straight section on the Madrid-Seville line near the town of Urda.

The accident happened at around 8:54 a.m. local time (3:54 p.m. in Manila).

Emergency services have recovered 64 bodies and counted 58 injured passengers, according to the Castilla-La Mancha government authorities.

Local media, citing central government sources and investigations, report that the crash was caused by human error, leading a high-speed train to collide with the rear carriage of an Iryo train that had stopped because of a signal failure. The crash caused two rear carriages of the Iryo train to derail.

Spanish rail infrastructure operator Adif has suspended high-speed rail services between Madrid and Andalusia in both directions.

In a tweet, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed his solidarity and support to the victims and their families, and said he “remain[s] in constant contact” with local officials.

“Emergency services are working on the ground to assist those affected and ensure their safety, in coordination with all the involved administrations.”

The Andalusian regional government has declared a three-day mourning period until Saturday.

Wednesday’s deadly crash happened nine months after another accident involving high-speed trains owned by Renfe and Iryo on the same route near the town of Adamuz.

That accident, which killed 46 people, sparked debates about rail maintenance and safety in recent years. —With reports from Jay-vee Marasigan Pangan/LDF, GMA News