Leaked audio shows Spanish control centre cleared train to proceed before fatal crash

Leaked audio recordings published in Spanish media have revealed exchanges between train drivers and a control centre in the minutes before a deadly rail crash in central Spain on Wednesday morning, which has killed 69 people. The disaster occurred when a train travelling from Madrid to Seville struck a stationary train near Urda. Three recordings of conversations between Madrid's control centre and two drivers appear to show that one high-speed train was given clearance to move even though another had stalled on the track roughly 25km (15 miles) ahead. In one recording, a control centre operator speaks to the driver of the Renfe train, which was experiencing technical difficulties. The operator tells the driver to "continue your journey and then proceed under [Lateral Signalling Block], at normal speed with normal operation". When the driver asks "At normal speed?", the controller replies: "Yes." The Lateral Signalling Block is a back-up system used when automatic signalling or data transmission fails. In another recording, the driver of the stationary train, operated by the private company Iryo, reports that communication with the train-control system has been lost and the train is not moving, telling the control centre it is "stationary in front of the entry signal at Urda". The driver is then told to resume the journey normally, but in a later recording says the train cannot be started. "The train won't allow me to control the [security] system. That's why I am still stopped in front of the entry signal," the driver says. The later recording suggests the controller had been notified that the Iryo train remained stationary as the Renfe train approached. The moving train, run by state-owned operator Renfe, had 397 passengers on board, while the stationary Iryo train was carrying 147. A reported computer failure in the automatic signalling system had forced all trains to halt on the affected stretch, but Spain's transport minister Óscar Puente said the Renfe train was later ordered to proceed "in error". On Wednesday, he described the decision to instruct the trains to move again without any speed restrictions as "inexplicable". Iryo said its carriages were "struck from behind" by the other train. Dozens of people were injured, with survivors recounting scenes of passengers crying and bleeding, trapped in their seats, and smoke billowing through carriages, one of which caught fire. On Thursday, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia visited injured passengers in a hospital in Toledo. The King later expressed condolences to victims' relatives and pledged that the investigation would determine why the crash happened and what measures would be taken to prevent a repeat. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said authorities would "get to the bottom of every last detail of this tragedy", adding from the crash site that work was under way day and night to support victims' families and strengthen safety measures. The crash is one of the worst rail disasters in Europe's modern history and Spain's worst since 2013. The country began three days of national mourning on Thursday. Emergency crews worked through the night under floodlights to cut open metal carriages in the search for victims, many of whom had yet to be identified. The interior ministry said hundreds of personnel had been deployed, with drones and helicopters assisting recovery efforts. A Civil Guard spokesperson told the BBC more than 900 people from specialist departments had been deployed, and urged relatives of the missing to provide DNA samples at local centres set up for that purpose. The leaking of the recordings has drawn criticism from some politicians. Alberto Ibáñez, a member of Congress for the left-wing Sumar platform, described them on X as "despicable". Irene Montero, the prime ministerial candidate for Podemos, said responsibility should not be placed on a single worker, adding that train drivers and experts had warned for years against the liberalisation of the railway sector. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the opposition People's Party, said: "Spain has the right to know what is happening with its infrastructure." Most politicians cancelled public engagements and suspended campaigning ahead of a snap election on 29 November, though the far-right party Vox continued, with its leader Santiago Abascal saying his party would not take part in what he called attempts to "use mourning to silence criticism" of the country's rail infrastructure. Public anger has spilled onto the streets. Around 1,500 people gathered overnight outside the transport ministry building in Madrid, according to broadcaster TVE, with demonstrators largely calling for the resignations of Sánchez and Puente. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd after protesters hurled bottles and flares. No injuries or arrests were reported. Rail drivers also went ahead with a planned strike on Thursday, with the Spanish Union of Railway Drivers (Semaf) saying the action was being held "in defence of railway safety".