[UPDATED] Spain high-speed train crash kills 68, injures over 100

URDA, Spain - A high-speed train crash south of Madrid claimed 68 lives and injured over 100 people on Wednesday, marking one of Europe's deadliest such disasters this century. The incident, the second of its kind to occur in Spain this year, has sparked questions about the country's rail safety.

According to authorities, an error in the automatic control system led to the collision. The main high-speed line from Madrid to southern Spain was suspended after the accident with a train from private company Iryo.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene with trains embedded into each other and carriages lying on their sides. Emergency services rushed to the site, with dozens of vehicles racing to and from the location. Funeral vans were also present as part of the frantic search for survivors.

Critics, including the transport minister, have questioned why the collision occurred despite the technical failure affecting the automatic control system that halted services on a 69-kilometer stretch of track. The control center, which had time to verify the error, did not rectify it.

This tragic event comes one month before Spain's early general election, and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has declared three days of mourning. His party, the Socialists, halted campaign activities in light of the disaster. The opposition Popular Party leader also suspended campaigning but called for transparency regarding the country's infrastructure.