Leaked audio suggests Spanish train cleared to move before crash near Toledo
Leaked audio recordings published by Spanish media indicate a train was given clearance to depart even though another train had stalled on the same track outside Toledo, according to a BBC analysis of the material. Spanish officials are investigating the collision, in which a Madrid to Seville service ran into a stationary train.
BBC World
Leaked audio recordings published by Spanish media have provided new detail about the communications between a traffic control centre and train drivers in the moments before two trains collided outside Toledo.
The recordings, analysed by the BBC's Southern Europe correspondent Sarah Rainsford, appear to show that one train was given clearance to move even though another train had stalled on the track, according to the BBC's reporting.
The crash occurred when a train travelling from Madrid to Seville ran into a stationary train. Officials are investigating the cause of the disaster, and no formal findings have yet been published.
The leaked audio is expected to form part of the picture considered by investigators, who are working to establish why a moving train was directed onto a stretch of track where another train had come to a halt.
Spanish authorities have not commented publicly on the contents of the recordings, and it remains unclear who recorded the communications or how they were obtained by the media.
The Madrid to Seville corridor is one of Spain's principal rail routes, and the collision outside Toledo has raised questions about the procedures used to manage traffic when trains stop unexpectedly. Further details are likely to emerge as the official investigation progresses.