Turkish president offers condolences to Spain after train crash kills 64

Condolences from Ankara

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday extended condolences to Spain following a train collision that killed at least 64 people, voicing solidarity with the Spanish government and people in a message posted on the social media platform NSosyal.

"I wholeheartedly share, on behalf of my country and nation, the grief of those who lost their loved ones, and I send Türkiye's messages of unity and solidarity to the people and government of Spain," Erdoğan said, adding that he wished a speedy recovery to those injured in the accident. The collision occurred when two high-speed trains crashed in central Spain, leaving at least 64 dead and around 80 wounded, officials said.

IT failure probed

Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente said an IT failure at around 8:30 a.m. local time disrupted the automatic safety system across a 60-kilometer stretch of railway, leaving six trains stopped in the affected area. Infrastructure operator Adif's control center subsequently managed traffic manually, authorizing a train behind a stationary Iryo service to resume its journey.

Puente said the control center authorized the train to proceed "as normal" at approximately 8:36 a.m., just six minutes after the system failure began. Emiliano García-Page, president of the Castile-La Mancha region, warned that the death toll could rise further as rescue operations continue in central Spain.