Death Toll in Spain High-Speed Train Collision Rises to 74 as DNA Collection Underway for Identification

The death toll from a high-speed train collision that occurred in Urda, a city near Toledo in central Spain, on the 28th local time has risen to 74.

The Spanish government announced on the 29th that the number of deaths from the accident increased by six from the previous day's tally, bringing the total to 74.

Throughout the night, cranes and search dogs were deployed at the accident site to lift the wreckage of the damaged carriages and inspect the interiors.

The accident occurred when a state-owned Renfe AVE high-speed train traveling on the southbound line connecting the capital Madrid and southern Andalusia crashed into the rear of a stationary private Iryo train.

Operating speeds on this section are known to typically reach up to 200 kilometers per hour.

With around 100 people injured following the collision between the two trains carrying over 540 passengers, authorities reported that 57 remain hospitalized.

The Spanish Foreign Ministry stated that 42 foreigners from seven countries, including South Korea, were on board the accident trains, of whom one died and at least seven were injured.

According to the South Korean Embassy in Spain, there were 10 South Korean passengers on board, two of whom sustained injuries and received hospital treatment.

With only two victims identified and notified to their families so far, authorities are collecting DNA samples from families of the missing persons in Madrid, Toledo, Sevilla, and other areas to carry out identification work.

Local media outlets such as El Pais reported that people who have been unable to contact family members or acquaintances on the train are anxiously searching hospitals or scouring social media for their whereabouts.

Spain's train conductors' union went ahead with a previously announced strike on this day, demanding increased investment in railway safety.

As a result, high-speed train operations faced disruptions.

Serious questions are being raised over Spain's railway safety as a major disaster has recurred nine months after a large-scale casualty collision involving two high-speed trains occurred in the Cordoba region of Andalusia last January.

Citizens expressed anger over the successive major accidents.

On the night of the accident on the 28th, 1,500 people gathered in front of the Ministry of Transport building in Madrid to stage a protest demanding the government step down to take responsibility for the disaster, clashing with police.

King Felipe VI of Spain visited a hospital in Toledo on the 29th to comfort the injured while urging Spanish authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and take measures to prevent similar accidents from recurring.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.