Spain has the largest high-speed rail network in Europe for trains moving at more than 155 mph, with more than 1,900 miles of track, according to the European Union.
The identities of victims have begun to emerge.
Fátima Báñez, a former minister, was among those killed in the collision, according to the leader of Spain’s opposition Popular Party.
“She was a tireless woman, a loyal friend, and always committed to improving the lives of Spaniards,” Alberto Núñez Feijóo wrote in Spanish on social media.
Antonio Acedo, the driver of one of the trains, was also killed, according to the Izquierda Española political party.
“Antonio was an exceptional person, a kind, prudent, and dedicated man,” the party wrote on social media.
The country is observing three days of mourning after the crash.
Dirk Llorens, an American who lives in Madrid, said he and his wife were on the stopped train when, suddenly, “I was thrown just violently, just over my table.”
“Then the train started sliding, and I could see that the roof had opened, and there was dust flying out of the back,” he said.
People were panicking and did not know what had just happened, he said. Llorens thought the train had derailed somehow. He turned and saw that “everything was destroyed.”
Llorens said that as he and his wife tried to escape from the train, he saw people who had “smashed their face” during the impact, with bloody noses and cuts on their heads spewing blood.
He said that the crash occurred on a hill and that “we were all just trying to get out because we thought the train would roll on the hill and kill us.”
As more injured people escaped from the train, Llorens saw a man “come out completely full of blood, and he was just sitting on a tree, just completely collapsed.”
“I think people were so in shock. We were all in shock,” he said.
Those who were less injured began trying to help one another, he said, adding that soon afterward, a large group of paramedics and police arrived.
“You really never know what can happen in life — that makes you appreciate life but also understand that some things can happen at any time,” Llorens said.
He called for transparency from the Spanish government about what happened.
“The Spanish government really needs to put all their effort in making sure that something like that doesn’t ever happen again,” he said. “I don’t think I’ll take a train in Spain unless I see that they’re having big improvements in what they’re doing.”
Source: www.nbcnews.com
