Spain Rail Collision: 69 Dead As Families Search For Missing

At least 69 people died and 180 others were injured when two high-speed trains collided in central Spain on Wednesday.

More than 24 hours after the impact, families remain in Toledo searching for loved ones who are still unaccounted for. Authorities have transported 110 of the injured to hospitals for treatment.

César Vicente, an actor from Seville, traveled 495 kilometers to Toledo to find his father. He stayed overnight at a religious center that has been converted into a base for affected families. His father was sitting in seat 13A on the RENFE train that struck an Iryo train stopped on the tracks.

“I have my father, and I don’t know where he is. I hope to find him, oh my Lord,” Vicente said. He described the situation as hell and stated that the experience was unbearable.

Relatives are posting details on social media to identify missing passengers. Alejandra Marroquín posted on Instagram that her sister Adriana, wearing dark blue clothes, was in car 8 of the RENFE train. Marroquín said the family was still praying and had not received news as search teams with sniffer dogs continued their work.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told reporters that the government was working to respond to victims' families and strengthen security. He said the goal was to shed light on the tragedy and ensure it never happens again.

This crash marks the second high-speed rail disaster in Spain this year. In January, 46 people died when a train jumped the track and hit another in southern Spain. The network is the world's second-largest after China's and had not had a deadly crash since service began over three decades ago.

Residents of Urda, a town of about 2,500 people south of Madrid, assisted with the response. They carried passengers to a nearby sports pavilion and prepared food. David Gómez, a construction worker, said his group used first-aid kits and cut through fences to treat people until emergency services arrived. Regional president Emiliano García-Page thanked the 1,300 mobilized emergency personnel and noted that more than 2,000 people volunteered in the Castilla-La Mancha region.