TOLEDO, Spain — Relatives of the 69 people killed in a high-speed rail collision in Spain last month attended a state funeral on Tuesday with Spain's royals, almost two weeks after the crash.
The ceremony took place in the towering 13th-century Toledo Cathedral in central Spain, where the Archbishop of Toledo, Francisco Cerro Chaves, celebrated a funeral Mass. Around 150 relatives of victims and injured passengers attended, and residents of Urda placed 69 candles near the altar in honour of the victims.
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia sat near the families and were welcomed with applause as they arrived. The King and Queen offered support to those affected and bid a final farewell to those lost in the accident in a solemn and reflective ceremony.
The collision happened on October 28, when a high-speed train slammed into another that was stationary on the Madrid-Seville line near Urda, around 140 kilometres south of the capital. More than 500 passengers were travelling on the two trains, and at least 69 people lost their lives.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez did not attend Tuesday's funeral service. Instead, he travelled to Manresa, in Catalonia, to record a podcast with popular YouTuber Jordi Wild — a decision that has sparked political controversy in Spain, where Sanchez is seeking re-election in a general election on November 29.
Spanish train drivers went on strike on Tuesday to demand more investment in maintenance and safety following Spain's second fatal rail crash this year. In January, 46 people lost their lives in a railway disaster near Adamuz, in Andalusia.
Grieving families are demanding answers and accountability over the Urda disaster, and the strike and the political row over the prime minister's absence have kept the tragedy at the centre of Spain's public debate as the election approaches.
