Transport Minister Óscar Puente described the decision to allow the AVE train to resume at normal speed as “inexplicable”
The incident began around 8.30am on Wednesday when a computer malfunction knocked out the LZB train control system on a 69-km stretch of track, according to Spanish news outlet El Diario. The crash is Spain’s second deadly high-speed rail accident this year, following a January collision that killed 46 people. The failure automatically stopped several trains, including an Iryo service and a state-owned Renfe AVE train travelling behind it. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has pledged a full investigation and improvements to restore public confidence in the country’s rail network.
Transport minister Óscar Puente described the decision to allow the AVE train to resume at normal speed as “inexplicable”. The investigation by the Civil Guard and Spain’s Railway Accident Investigation Commission is expected to establish how the technical failure and decisions at the control centre contributed to the disaster.