Two trains collided south of Madrid on Wednesday morning, killing at least 69 people and injuring dozens. The crash occurred at 08:53 (07:53 GMT) between Mora and Orgaz on the high-speed line to Seville. A state-operated Renfe train crashed into the back of a stationary Iryo train near Urda.
The privately run Iryo train was stationary when the Renfe train struck it at high speed, causing several carriages to fall down an embankment. All train traffic on the line was suspended, with services between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia stopped. Over 540 people were on board both trains, including 146 passengers on the Iryo train and 397 on the Renfe train.
Transport minister Óscar Puente said a computer failure at about 08:30 led to the initial halt of six moving trains. The control centre decided to allow the Renfe train to move again without speed restrictions, a decision made 'under inexplicable circumstances'. Audio recordings suggest the controller gave clearance to the Renfe driver to resume at normal speed despite another train being stalled ahead.
The driver was instructed to disconnect and reconnect the LZB mechanism, a safety system that monitors train speeds.
Source: Hacker News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing