Officials from Amtrak are extending condolences to the passenger rail community and those affected by the deadly Spain train crash, a collision between two high-speed trains.
At least 68 people are confirmed dead after a high-speed Renfe train collided with a stationary train in Spain’s Toledo province, according to Reuters.
It happened around 9 a.m. local time on a busy train corridor that connects Madrid to the Andalusia region in southern Spain.
The most recent death toll was reported to be 68, with dozens more injured. Those figures, officials said, were likely to increase as rescuers scoured the damaged train cars carriage by carriage in search of additional victims.
Read More: FAA gives all-clear to Boeing’s largest 737 MAX yet
It’s the second major high-speed rail crash in Spain this year, the first of which happened in January on the same line, killing 46 people.
Spanish transportation officials said the train was given the go-ahead to continue on its journey despite the stalled train in its path. Spanish officials will investigate the circumstances of the crash, but Reuters is reporting that there have already been calls for the nation’s transportation minister to resign.
Amtrak shares condolences after Spain train crash
Mid-afternoon on Wednesday, Amtrak released an official statement regarding the deadly collision in Spain, offering sympathy and solidarity from America’s passenger railroad.
“We are heartbroken by the tragic high-speed rail collision in Spain. Our deepest condolences are with the passengers and employees who were lost or injured, their families and loved ones, and our rail colleagues across Spain,” Amtrak Interim President Byl Herrmann said. “The passenger rail community reaches across borders. A tragedy like this is felt by all of us.”
Herrmann added that he had personally reached out to leaders at the Spanish Ministry and Renfe to offer any assistance “during this extraordinarily difficult time.”
Read More: CA loads up on materials ahead of first high-speed track installation
The 68 deaths make Wednesday’s high-speed rail crash the deadliest in Europe since 2013.
The deadliest train crash in U.S. history happened in 1918 when at least 101 people were killed when two passenger trains collided near Nashville. The deadliest crash in the 21st Century happened in 2008, when a Union Pacific freight train and Metrolink commuter train collided in Los Angeles, killing 25 and injuring more than 100.
