Political round-up: How riots and the horror Toledo train disaster derailed Spain’s snap election campaign

Spain is observing three days of national mourning following a deadly train collision in Urda, Toledo, which claimed at least 69 lives earlier this week. On Saturday, residents and local officials gathered for a memorial Mass at the San Juan Bautista church to honor the victims. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that the country is working tirelessly to complete the identification process for the deceased, as authorities worked through Friday to identify bodies.

The identification efforts have been complicated by the collection of 31 bags of partial remains, leading Castilla-La Mancha leader Emiliano Garcia-Page to warn that more deaths may be discovered. Legal authorities reported 67 active reports for missing people, including 14 foreign nationals from countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, France, Japan, Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Tunisia, and the Czech Republic.

Additionally, the Portuguese government confirmed that a Portuguese citizen working on one of the trains is among the dead.

The train disaster, along with violent unrest and a looming general strike, has derailed the Spanish election debate as Pedro Sánchez faces questions regarding living costs and safety, according to The Olive Press.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Olive Press, Euronews — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.