At least 68 people have died following a devastating high-speed train crash in Spain, marking the country's second major rail disaster this year.
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The collision occurred shortly after 9 a.m. near Toledo, where two trains carrying a combined 544 passengers reportedly crashed and derailed between the towns of Mora and Orgaz.
The tragedy follows another deadly rail accident in January, when 46 people died and more than 120 sustained injuries after a train derailed and collided with an oncoming service in the province of Cordoba.
Spain Train Crash Leaves 68 Dead and More Than 100 Injured
Local authorities confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that the death toll had risen to 68, making it one of Spain's deadliest railway disasters in decades.
More than 100 passengers sustained injuries in the collision, with several remaining in critical condition at regional trauma centers in Toledo and Madrid.
Emergency crews, military personnel and heavy crane units continued search and recovery operations along an embankment near Urda.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez described the crash as a "terrible tragedy" and pledged a full investigation alongside an immediate review of railway safety protocols.
"At the moment it looks like the causes behind both crashes have nothing in common, but it's not up to me but to the investigation to establish that," Sanchez said.
"We will need to do everything in our power to restore public confidence in our high-speed railway network. It is unacceptable for a country like Spain to experience two high-speed rail accidents in the same year."
Spanish Prime Minister Announces Three Days of Mourning
Sánchez announced three days of national mourning following the tragedy, beginning on Thursday.
"Behind each victims is... a destroyed family, pain, and anguish... which the people of Spain share," he added.
The prime minister also pledged that the government would "offer support to the injured and victims and relatives of this terrible tragedy".
"We will get to the bottom of this, and if there has been any negligence, it will come to light," Sanchez continued.
Meanwhile, survivors and witnesses described terrifying scenes as the trains collided, with passengers reporting screams and a carriage engulfed in flames.
Some witnesses also claimed to have seen people trapped beneath the wreckage.
"We felt the train move, derail, and we were tilted. It was a terrible few seconds," one witness recalled.
Authorities have yet to establish the exact cause of the collision, with investigators continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the disaster.
Investigators continue to examine the cause of the crash as rescue teams complete their recovery operations.
