High-speed train crash in Spain kills at least 68

At least 68 people perished and 58 were injured after two high-speed trains collided Wednesday in central Spain. First responders were continuing to search through the wreckage, which occurred on a high-speed line between Los Yébenes and Urda, near Toledo, according to the Associated Press.

Spain’s Civil Guard shared a video of the crash site that showed several train cars derailed and some heavily damaged. Another video showed wreckage strewn on the ground. The Civil Guard said it was collecting DNA samples from victims’ family members to aid in identifying their remains.

Do we know what caused the accident? The trains involved were operated by the state-owned Renfe company and private operator Iryo, according to Renfe. Spanish transportation minister Oscar Puente said that a computer malfunction caused the security system to stop working on a long section of the track, triggering a stop signal for all trains. The Iryo train stayed stationary, but the government-run central command station told the Renfe train to proceed normally. It struck the Iryo train, possibly at a speed of 124 miles per hour, he said.

Has this ever happened before in Spain? Another Spanish high-speed train crash in January killed 45 people and seriously injured more than 120.