Spanish train was moving at up to 124 mph when it crashed, killing at least 69 people

Spanish train was moving at up to 124 mph when it crashed, killing at least 69 people One train smashed into another on Wednesday near the Spanish town of Urda - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in A Spanish passenger train was moving at a minimum of 99 mph (160 kmph) when it ran into a stationary train ahead of it, a preliminary report on the crash has found. The collision happened near the central Spanish town of Urda on Wednesday and killed at least 69 people. The Independent Authority for the Technical Investigation of Accidents and Incidents (AITAT) put the Renfe train's speed at between 99 mph and 124 mph (160 kph and 200 kmph) at the moment of impact. The exact figure will not be known until information is extracted from the train's black box, AITAT said. The Civil Guard has received reports of 64 people missing in the crash, which is already Spain's deadliest train accident since 2013. It is unclear how many of those reported missing are among the bodies still to be identified, Reuters reported. Forty-nine autopsies have been carried out so far, Esther Padilla, spokesperson for the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, said on state television network TVE. Five people have been identified: three women and two men. "Testing is proceeding slowly, although families will be contacted throughout the day so that they can come and collect their results," Padilla said on Friday. The crash followed another fatal accident in January involving the same rail companies on the same line. It has reopened a debate about safety and maintenance on Spain's high-speed rail network, the most extensive in Europe. The collision occurred after several trains were automatically stopped due to the failure of the automatic signalling system, after which the central control centre in Madrid took over. A train operated by state-owned Renfe was authorised to proceed even though there was a stationary Iryo-operated train ahead, according to Transport Minister Oscar Puente. Audio of communications between the control centre and the train drivers, obtained by El Pais, showed a controller authorising the Renfe train to continue its journey at a normal speed. Puente said this disregarded a protocol to travel at no more than 40 kph in such circumstances. The audio also showed the controller authorised the Renfe train, carrying 379 passengers and seven crew, to renew its journey when it should have been the Iryo train in front, which carried 147 passengers and five crew, to proceed first, according to protocol. "The sequence of malfunctions, instructions, and actions eventually led to the collision, in the absence of the necessary mitigating barriers," according to the AITAT report. "The scene was devastating. You saw carriages completely burnt out, as if they’d exploded. What you see coming out were people in a very bad way, and others who start pulling out the bodies of the deceased and placing them right there next to where we were," Sebastian Herrero, who was travelling near the front of the Iryo train, said. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments