The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, will participate this Thursday, along with the head of the Executive of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, in the meeting of the Integrated Operational Coordination Center (CECOPI) convened due to the railway accident registered in Urda, in the province of Toledo, which, according to the provisional balance, has left at least 68 dead and dozens injured.
The meeting, which will be held at the facilities of the 112 Emergency and Urgency Coordination Service of Castilla-La Mancha, on the Madrid-Toledo highway, will also be attended by the Minister of Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, on a day marked by the deployment of emergency teams and institutional monitoring of the accident.
The accident occurred after an AVE train collided with an Iryo train in the municipality of Los Yébenes (Toledo). The Government points to a failure in the control center, which would have authorized the departure "against regulations."
Sánchez calls for clarification of the causes of the accident
Pedro Sánchez traveled this Wednesday to the advanced command post set up at the scene of the accident, in Urda, where he stated that the Executive will go "to the end" to clarify the causes of the railway accident.
The President of the Government maintained that "it is not acceptable" for a country like Spain to have two train accidents in the same year, also referring to the one that occurred last January in Adamuz (Córdoba), which caused 46 deaths and nearly 300 injuries, and pledged to reinforce security to restore confidence in the railway system.
In that appearance, Pedro Sánchez insisted on the need to clarify the origin of the accident and to adopt measures that allow for a review of railway safety, in a context of strong political and social impact due to the magnitude of the accident.
Feijóo visits Urda and calls for a review of the railway network
The leader of the PP and candidate for the Presidency of the Government, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, will travel this Thursday to Urda to visit the advanced command post set up for the accident, accompanied by the president of the PP of Castilla-La Mancha, Paco Núñez.
Feijóo, who canceled the PP's general election campaign agenda this Wednesday, will make statements to the media in the Town Hall Square of the town, after visiting the deployed device following the tragedy.
In an institutional statement at the PP headquarters, Alberto Núñez Feijóo assured that citizens have the right to know the "state of the tracks and security systems" in Spain after this new accident involving the collision of two trains.
The popular leader asked to know what measures have been adopted since the Adamuz accident last January and demanded a "complete and independent review" of the entire railway network, in addition to a government investigation and a judicial one.
"An immediate governmental investigation and a judicial one in due course, with all means and without interference, are essential," said Feijóo, who added that Spain "has the right to know what is happening with its infrastructures" and "the state of the tracks and security systems."
Feijóo, who was in Barcelona when the railway accident occurred for a campaign event, returned to Madrid at noon and has been meeting with his team since then, gathering information and in contact with the Government of Castilla-La Mancha and local authorities, according to PP sources. In fact, he followed the appearance before the media of the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, at the party headquarters.
Minute of silence in Cibeles in memory of the victims
This afternoon, Alberto Núñez Feijóo attended the minute of silence called by the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) in Spanish town halls at the Palacio de Cibeles, in memory of the victims of the railway accident.
Meanwhile, the political and institutional monitoring of the incident continues to focus on investigating the causes, attending to the injured, and coordinating the emergency resources deployed in the affected area.
🚨 Accidente ferroviario en Toledo. Renfe (@Inforenfe @Renfe ) ha activado el Plan de Asistencia a las Víctimas y sus Familiares. 📞 900 10 10 20, teléfono de atención a familiares. 📍 En la estación de Atocha se ha habilitado un espacio de atención a familiares de las personas afectadas.
— Delegación del Gobierno en Madrid 🏛️ (@DGobiernoMadrid) October 28, 202