- Published
It was approaching 09:00 (08:00 GMT) and two high-speed trains were travelling south from the Spanish capital, Madrid, to Seville.
asserted
trains → publish → Seville
One, run by state-owned operator Renfe had 397 passengers on board.
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One → run → board
A reported issue with the automatic signalling system - a computer failure - had forced all trains to halt on the affected stretch.
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issue → report → stretch
Then the impossible happened, Spain's transport minister said, as the Renfe train was ordered to proceed in "error".
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train → happen → error
It crashed into the back of the other train between municipalities Mora and Orgaz, and about 140km (87 miles) south of Madrid.
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It → crash → Madrid
Spanish journalist Roberto Gómez was dozing on the high-speed Renfe train, when the train stopped and an announcement was relayed to passengers that there was congestion on the tracks.
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announcement → doze → tracks
The train eventually began to move again, he explained, and then the crash happened.
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crash → begin → ?
"The impact was terrible," he told Onda Cero radio.
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he → tell → radio
"You can imagine, the carriage is completely destroyed.
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carriage → imagine → ?
All the suitcases are all over the wrecked carriage."
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suitcases → wreck → carriage
Gómez suffered only minor injuries but described another passenger falling on top of him and sustaining a deep gash on his head.
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passenger → suffer → head
"We were able to help people who had suffered severe blows to their chest and ribs," he said.
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he → help → chest
In the last carriage of the Renfe train, Miguel Ángel Pérez observed a similar scene.
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Pérez → observe → scene
The carriage partially overturned," he told Spanish TV program La Hora de La 1.
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he → overturn → program
"Luckily there were few people standing," he said.
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he → be → ?
Passengers then jumped out of the carriage through the windows.
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Passengers → jump → windows
The train that was hit from behind was one of six to have been ordered to halt at 08:30.
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that → hit → 08:30
It was still stationary when the order was given to the Renfe train to proceed.
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order → give → train
Transport Minister Óscar Puente appeared in front of the cameras to say an employee had ordered the resumption of travel at 08:36 and some 17 minutes later the "truly unbelievable" had happened.
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unbelievable → appear → 08:36
Sebastián Herrero from Seville was on the Iryo train and experienced the crash first hand.
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Herrero → experience → crash
He felt a "terrible, terrible impact" and was thrown on to the seats in front of him, he told El Mundo newspaper.
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he → feel → newspaper
"After we fell, there were many people with broken noses, broken arms...
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we → fall → noses
We started seeing smoke everywhere."
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We → start → smoke
Another man, who was not identified, told Reuters news agency: "Everything was overturned.
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Everything → identify → agency
Some people were thrown into the air.
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people → throw → air
They are very badly injured."
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They → injure → ?
Eduarda was also on the stationary train, travelling with her two cats.
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Eduarda → travel → cats
She told Cadena Ser radio how the crash had propelled her forwards.
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crash → tell → her
Once outside, the chaos hit her.
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chaos → hit → her
She heard screams and saw people under the train who she said had died, and a carriage was on fire.
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carriage → hear → fire
For Fernando Seco the worst came after he left the train and saw a "horrible scene".
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he → come → scene
"There were many injured people, a lot of blood and many dead," he said.
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he → be → blood
How could this happen?
uncertain
this → happen → ?
Some of the fortunate passengers who escaped injury in the crash began helping others.
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who → escape → others
Even injured and bloodied passengers did their best to help.
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passengers → injure → best
It was not long before local people arrived, followed by the police and ambulance services of the Guardia Civil.
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people → arrive → Civil
"People from neighbouring towns brought water," a volunteer told Reuters.
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volunteer → neighbour → Reuters
"We are distributing it, especially to be taken to the accident site where people are in worse condition."
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people → distribute → condition
Some residents brought cars to help with the evacuation to the nearby town of Urda, he explained.
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he → bring → Urda
Spain was already reeling from the Adamuz high-speed rail disaster outside Córdoba in January, in which 46 people died.
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people → reel → which
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
