A high-speed train has crashed into the rear of another train that had stopped in central Spain, derailing two carriages and killing at least 68 people, the regional government says.

Emiliano Garcia-Page, the government head for the Castilla-La Mancha region, where the crash happened, said about 80 people were injured, about 50 of them seriously and 15 critically, warning that some of the most seriously injured might not survive. Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia said the injured were being taken to several hospitals in the area.

The crash occurred early on Wednesday near Urda in Toledo province, south of Madrid, on a high-speed railway line connecting the capital with the southern city of Seville.

Esther Padilla, a spokeswoman for the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha, told Spanish public broadcaster TVE that the trains had been travelling in the same direction when one struck the rear of the other, which was stationary, causing two carriages to derail.

The collision involved an AVE high-speed train operated by Spain’s state railway company Renfe, travelling from Madrid to Seville, and another operated by the private rail company Iryo.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, speaking from Urda, said the government would declare three days of official mourning from October 29 to 31.

“Spain is in mourning,” he said. “We will get to the bottom of this, and if there was negligence, it will be revealed, and if there were system failures, there will be a strong response.” He added: “What is unacceptable for a country like Spain is to suffer two train accidents in the same year,” but said the causes of the two crashes appeared unrelated.

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‘Awful time’

More than 200 members of the Military Emergencies Unit are working at the site, and the town council of Los Yebenes says it has gathered food and basic supplies for those affected.

Journalist Graham Keeley, speaking to Al Jazeera from Spain, said the crash “comes at an awful time for the present government because we have an election here in Spain in just over a month.”

“After the crash in January, the government promised to conduct checks on all the lines all over the country,” he said, adding that passengers on board were commuters travelling from Madrid to Seville, along with tourists.

The collision comes nine months after an accident between high-speed trains belonging to the same operators and on the same line that killed 46 people.

Hundreds of passengers

Footage circulating on social media showed the wreckage from one of the carriages scattered along a slope after it derailed, with members of the public and rescue crews gathered around it.

Padilla said 397 passengers were on the Renfe train and 147 on the Iryo train.

Two carriages of the Iryo train fell down an embankment, according to emergency service sources quoted by the newspaper El Pais.

Health Minister Garcia told TVE that emergency workers were focusing on rescuing survivors and recovering bodies from the two most damaged train cars.

“It was a high-speed impact, so we are expecting this to be a tragedy,” Garcia said.

Spain’s Transport Minister Oscar Puente said at a press conference that a control centre decision allowed a train to resume its journey “normally” despite a signaling system failure.

Puente told journalists that the LZB control system went down at around 8:30am (07:00 GMT) along a 63km (39-mile) stretch, affecting six trains, though he said the exact number was not certain. With the system down, control was transferred to the Atocha control post, where the decision was made for the Renfe train to resume its journey “normally”.

“The decision to resume traffic without the system having been restored corresponds to the control centre,” Puente said, describing the circumstances as “inexplicable”.

‘Shocked’

Madrid Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida said on X that the capital was also sending emergency medical teams and firefighters to assist with rescue efforts.

Spain’s railway infrastructure operator, ADIF, suspended high-speed rail services between Madrid and the southern region of Andalusia while the Civil Guard sent a disaster investigation team to the site, El Pais reported.

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Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on X that he was shocked by the incident and remained in contact with Transport Minister Puente and Castilla-La Mancha administrator Garcia-Page as emergency crews worked at the scene.

“Shocked by the serious train accident in Toledo. My affection, solidarity, and support to all the victims and their families,” Sanchez said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was devastated by the news and extended condolences to the victims’ families and loved ones.

“Today, Europe mourns with you,” she said in a post on X.

French President Emmanuel Macron expressed solidarity with Spain, saying his thoughts were with the victims, their families, the injured, and rescue workers.