Spanish monarchs attend memorial for 69 dead in train crash
King Felipe and Queen Letizia joined officials and victims' families at a cathedral service honoring the 69 people killed in a high-speed rail collision near Urda, with 28 still hospitalized.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia attended a memorial service at a cathedral in Toledo for the 69 victims of the high-speed train collision near Urda, about 40 miles from the city. The crash, in which a moving train struck a stationary one on the Madrid-Seville line, was Spain's deadliest rail disaster since 2013. Twenty-eight injured passengers remain in hospital.
Archbishop Cerro Chaves addressed the gathering, describing the accident as a source of profound pain for families, towns and society. Candles carried by relatives of the deceased were placed before the main altar, and Ana Benítez, sister of a victim, delivered the first reading.
Senior politicians were present, including People's Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo, Castilla-La Mancha president Emiliano García-Page and Transport and Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo, who recently assumed the transport portfolio after Óscar Puente resigned amid pressure over the crash. Puente had suggested that a combination of human error and a safety-system glitch might have contributed to the incident.
The service coincided with a nationwide train-drivers strike demanding improved rail safety. The tragedy occurred a month before the 29 November general election and is expected to affect Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's re-election prospects.