Toledo crash death toll reaches 68

Sixty-eight people died in the high-speed train collision in Spain's Toledo province, officials confirmed on Thursday. Emergency workers continued to search the wreckage for survivors as cranes lifted twisted metal from the rural site.

The accident marks the second deadly rail incident in Spain this year. It occurred after a similar crash in January involving the same rail companies on the same line.

Esther Padilla, a spokeswoman for the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, told TVE that rescue teams were working carefully. She stated that authorities could not yet confirm no more victims were trapped in the debris. Padilla noted that a canine unit had been deployed the previous day and would return to the site on Thursday to conduct another search.

Transport minister Oscar Puente explained the sequence of events on Wednesday. He said several trains stopped automatically due to a signal failure. A state-run Renfe train was then authorized to proceed at normal speed despite a stationary Iryo-operated train ahead.

Rail workers from the union Semaf went ahead with a planned strike on Thursday. The action was scheduled before the accident to demand greater investment in railway safety. The union said it would avoid speculating on the crash cause until it had a detailed understanding of the events.

The incident has affected the political calendar ahead of a snap election on November 29. Leaders of Spain's two main parties suspended campaign events. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was expected to travel to Toledo for an emergency coordination meeting. Alberto Nuñez Feijoo, who leads the opposition People's Party in polls, was also scheduled to visit the nearby town of Urda. The government declared three days of national mourning for the victims.