Spanish village holds memorial Mass for 69 train crash victims

A memorial Mass was held in the small Spanish village of Urda on Saturday, honoring the 69 people who died in a high-speed train collision. Pews at the San Juan Bautista church were filled to capacity, while additional attendees gathered outside. The village's pharmacist, a 78-year-old man, witnessed the tragedy firsthand as he rushed to the crash site to aid the injured.

Investigators are trying to determine the cause of one of Europe's deadliest rail accidents this century. The train, traveling from Madrid to Seville, crashed into a stationary train on Wednesday. Archbishop Francisco Cerro of Toledo expressed that words cannot provide comfort to those who lost loved ones, but reassured the families that society stands with them. He also praised the solidarity of emergency workers and volunteers, emphasizing the need to prevent such disasters in the future.

The president of Castilla-La Mancha region and the mayor of Urda attended the memorial service, along with the Archbishop of Toledo. Locals have been deeply affected by the tragedy, with the village's leader describing them as in great pain and in dire need of support. Relatives of the victims are providing DNA samples to assist in the identification process, while rescue teams continue their search through the wreckage.

So far, 56 bodies have been identified, with 54 being Spanish nationals and two foreign nationals – one French and one Portuguese. The crash marks Spain's second major train disaster this year, following a January incident where 46 people died when a train derailed and collided with another on the same route near Adamuz.