Train crash judge demands more workers after staff shortage halts overnight search

The collision near the village of Urda in Castilla-La Mancha’s Toledo province on Wednesday killed 69 people. Forensic teams have identified 56 of those who died, while families continue to wait for the recovery and identification process to be completed. ALSO READ: Puente refuses to resign as train crash investigation examines safety failures and control-room orders.

The judicial instruction was issued with the intention of keeping carriage-removal work running through Sunday night. According to RTVE, there were too few workers from the crane company contracted by Adif and Renfe for the operation to continue. Work resumed on Sunday morning.

In a statement, the High Court of Justice of Castilla-La Mancha said the company had been urgently instructed to provide the necessary personnel and arrange shifts so that crews already working at the crash site could be relieved.

Autopsies have been completed on all 69 people killed. Of the 56 identified so far, 54 were Spanish nationals, one was French and one Portuguese. Relatives have been providing DNA samples to assist forensic specialists. ALSO READ: At least 69 dead and over 50 injured in high-speed train collision near Toledo.

Meanwhile, the number of injured people receiving hospital treatment has fallen. Castilla-La Mancha’s regional government said on Sunday that 31 remained in its hospitals, including 13 in intensive care. A further 10 were still hospitalised in the Madrid region. ALSO READ: Transport Minister says decision to let AVE proceed before fatal Toledo crash was ‘inexplicable’.

Hospitals across the two regions have treated 232 people for injuries of varying severity following the collision. ALSO READ: Toledo crash recordings reveal restart orders as Iryo driver reported train still stopped.

Urda mourns at packed memorial Mass

The latest developments followed a memorial Mass on Saturday at Urda’s San Juan Bautista church, where residents, relatives and public officials gathered to honour those killed.

The pews were full, and dozens more people listened from outside. Some wiped away tears as the village mourned a disaster that has deeply affected the local community. ALSO READ: Spain’s latest rail tragedy puts safety and accountability at centre of election campaign.

The Archbishop of Toledo, Francisco Cerro, acknowledged that ‘there are no words that can offer comfort’ to bereaved families.

‘Dear families affected by the train accident, you are not alone. Society is with you, the best of society is with you,’ he said. 

He urged people not to forget the tragedy and called for such disasters never to happen again. He also thanked healthcare workers, firefighters, police, rescue teams and volunteers, praising ‘a genuine wave of solidarity’. ALSO READ: King Felipe visits train crash survivors and urges action to prevent another tragedy.

Castilla-La Mancha president Emiliano García-Page and Urda mayor Manuel Galán were among those attending.

Before the service, Galán told Spanish public television that residents of the village, which has around 2,500 inhabitants, ‘are very badly affected, in great pain and with a great need for support’. ALSO READ: Sánchez pledges firm action over Toledo train disaster as Feijóo demands answers.