King and queen attend Toledo funeral mass for 69 Urda rail crash victims
Spain's king and queen led Tuesday's funeral mass in Toledo for the 69 killed in the Urda rail crash on 28 October; PM Pedro Sánchez stayed away.
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia attended a funeral mass in Toledo Cathedral on Tuesday evening for the 69 people killed when two high-speed trains collided in Urda on 28 October, according to 20minutos. The service began at 19:00 and was led by the Archbishop of Toledo, Francisco Cerro Chaves.
The king and queen had already travelled to Toledo the day after the crash to visit some of the injured in hospital and to speak with the medical teams who treated them, 20minutos reported.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez did not attend. He gave the same reason as when he skipped the funeral for victims of the Adamuz rail crash in January, saying the Toledo mass was a religious event, 20minutos reported.
Castilla-La Mancha's regional president, Emiliano García-Page, and several government ministers, including Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo and Education Minister Milagros Tolón, a former mayor of Toledo, also attended. Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo of the Popular Party was present as well.
The Popular Party criticised Sánchez's absence, calling it an excuse and accusing the prime minister of frivolity, 20minutos reported.
Archbishop Cerro was joined for the service by auxiliary bishop Francisco César García, the other bishops of Castilla-La Mancha, and Luis Javier Argüello, president of the Spanish Bishops' Conference.
Of the 69 people killed, 40 were men and 29 women, all adults; 54 were Spanish nationals and 15 were foreign citizens, according to 20minutos. Almost two weeks after the crash, the number of people still in hospital with injuries has fallen to 10. The mass was broadcast live on Spanish public television and radio.
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What we know
- 2+ outlets · 20minutos, Jornal de Notícias +1 King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia attended Tuesday's funeral mass in Toledo Cathedral for the 69 victims of the Urda rail crash of 28 October.
- 2+ outlets · 20minutos Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez did not attend, citing the religious nature of the event, as he did for January's Adamuz crash funeral.
- 1 outlet · 20minutos The Popular Party criticised his absence; opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo attended along with regional president Emiliano García-Page and several ministers.
- 1 outlet · 20minutos Of the 69 dead, 40 were men and 29 women; 54 were Spanish nationals and 15 were foreign citizens.
- 1 outlet · 20minutos Ten people remain hospitalised with injuries from the crash, 20minutos reported.
Not yet confirmed
- Unconfirmed Reports say a general strike was due before or around the funeral, but its exact timing is unclear.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Figure history
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Why it matters for Europe
The Urda crash, in which two high-speed trains collided on 28 October, killed 69 people and ranks among Spain's deadliest rail disasters in decades. Tuesday's mass brought together the king and queen, the government and the opposition in a shared show of mourning, even as Sánchez's absence kept alive a political dispute that began in January, when he also skipped the funeral for the Adamuz rail crash victims, citing the same religious grounds.
A general strike was due around the time of the funeral, according to Jornal de Notícias, adding further pressure on the government in the weeks after the crash. The Cristo de la Vera Cruz de Urda, an image normally kept in Urda and venerated by hundreds of pilgrims each year, left the town for the first time to stand in Toledo Cathedral during the service, among 69 candles lit for the victims.
Sources
Reported by 3 reports from 3 independent outlets in 2 countries.
- 20minutos: Los reyes asisten hoy a la misa funeral en Toledo por las 69 víctimas de Urda sin la presencia de Pedro Sánchez
- Jornal de Notícias: Funeral das vítimas de acidente ferroviário acontece esta terça-feira em Toledo antes de greve geral
- La Razón: Funeral de Urda, en directo: última hora de la misa en Toledo por las 69 víctimas del accidente ferroviario
Source balance
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Intelligence file
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Questions and answers
- Why were Spain's king and queen in Toledo on Tuesday?
- They attended a funeral mass for the 69 people killed in the Urda high-speed rail crash on 28 October.
- Why didn't Pedro Sánchez attend the funeral?
- The prime minister said he stayed away because it was a religious event, as he did after January's Adamuz rail crash.
- How many people died in the Urda crash?
- 69 people were killed when two high-speed trains collided on 28 October; 40 were men and 29 women.
This article was written with AI assistance from 3 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.