What we know so far about deadly Spain train crash

Newswire reports that two trains collided in Spain on the morning of the reports, with at least 50 people killed. Reported death tolls differ: Daily Mirror and Ada Derana give 64; Sri Lanka Mirror and Hiru News give 68; Ada Derana (தமிழ்) gives 69; and Lankadeepa reports 70. Daily Mirror says dozens were injured, while Lankadeepa reports more than 100 injured, many seriously.

Sri Lanka Mirror reports that the crash occurred shortly after 09:00 on Wednesday near Mora and Orgaz, about 140 kilometres south of Madrid. It says a train travelling from Madrid to Seville struck a stationary train and several carriages went down an embankment. The stationary train, operated by Iryo, had 147 passengers, while the Renfe train carried 397, according to Sri Lanka Mirror.

Sri Lanka Mirror reports that Transport Minister Óscar Puente said a computer failure stopped the Iryo train and that a Madrid control centre later directed trains to move without speed restrictions, a decision he attributed to the collision. The outlet also reports Iryo’s account that its train was hit from behind. These accounts describe the cause and sequence; the reports provide no further official investigation findings.

Sri Lanka Mirror reports that survivors described passengers being trapped in wreckage and breaking windows to escape, and that one carriage caught fire. Daily Mirror says emergency crews were reaching damaged carriages and authorities feared the death toll could rise. Ada Derana (සිංහල) reports that Spain declared three days of national mourning.