Spain began three days of national mourning on Thursday after a high-speed collision in Castilla-La Mancha killed at least 68 people and injured dozens more on Wednesday morning^1,2,4.

A Renfe AVE service from Madrid toward Seville struck a stationary Iryo train near Urda in Toledo province, sending carriages down an embankment^1,4. Iryo said its train, with 147 passengers, was hit from behind; the Renfe train was carrying 397 passengers^1,4. Castilla-La Mancha officials said 58 people were in hospital as crews searched wreckage overnight⁴.

Transport Minister Oscar Puente said an automatic control system failed on a stretch of track — about 63 to 69 kilometers, depending on the account — stopping trains, after which a Madrid control center ordered traffic to resume without speed restrictions^3,4. He said the Renfe train then traveled about 25 kilometers and struck the Iryo train, and that drivers were not at fault^2,4. Audio of exchanges between controllers and drivers, reported by the BBC, appeared to show one train cleared to move while another ahead had stalled¹.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited the site, said Spain was grieving, and called two high-speed disasters in one year unacceptable^1,2,4. A January crash in Andalusia on the same Madrid-Seville corridor killed 46 people, with the investigation still open^1,2,3.

The Civil Guard opened offices in Madrid, Toledo, Cordoba and Seville for missing-person reports and DNA samples^1,3. Most parties paused campaigning ahead of the Nov. 29 election; Vox leader Santiago Abascal said his party would not join what he called using mourning to silence criticism of rail infrastructure¹. About 1,500 people gathered at the Transport Ministry overnight; Spanish broadcaster TVE said police used tear gas after bottles and flares were thrown, with no injuries or arrests reported¹.

The Spanish Union of Railway Drivers, Semaf, said a planned 24-hour Renfe drivers strike on Thursday would proceed in defense of safety, after talks following the January crash stalled^1,5. Renfe said some Semaf demands were outside its control and that February agreement obligations had been met⁵. Opposition People's Party leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo said Spain had a right to know what was happening with its infrastructure¹. Investigators had not publicly assigned legal blame⁴.