King Felipe and Queen Letizia to return home after train disaster in Spain

A train collision in Spain has left many dead and injured, as the King and Queen lead tributes for the victims. 

A high-speed rail collision in Spain has left at least 39 dead and over 75 hospitalised on Sunday night. It was around 7:45 pm in Adamuz when an Iryo-operated train from Malaga derailed and crashed into an oncoming Renfe train travelling from Madrid. As a result of the collision, the Renfe train was thrown off its tracks and sent careening down a nearby embankment. Passengers were being rescued from the badly damaged carriages as rescue workers from all areas raced to the scene.

Spain’s Minister of the Interior of the Andalusian Regional Government has activated the Civil Protection Territorial Emergency Plan, while the Reina Sofia University Hospital, which has accepted a majority of the injured, activated its external disaster plans. Renfe-Operadora, the State-owned Spanish rail network, has said, “information points for families have been set up at the affected stations, and a psychological support team has been established in Madrid, Córdoba, Huelva, and Seville to assist the victims and their families.”

The Spanish Royal House (Casa Real) immediately posted a message to social media, which said King Felipe and Queen Letizia were greatly concerned about the incident and sent their condolences to the victims. The King held a telephone call from Greece, with the President of the Regional Government of Andalusia (Junta de Andalucía) late Sunday night.

The Prime Minister of Spain said, “Tonight is a night of deep pain for our country.”

The Spanish Royal Family travelled to Greece yesterday, 19th January, on a private flight to attend the funeral services of Princess Irene, who died last Thursday at Zarzuela Palace in Madrid. The King and Queen, with Queen Sofia, the Princess of Asturias, and Infanta Sofia, joined the Greek Royal Family for a private dinner in Athens Sunday evening, before news of the accident.

Funeral services started around noon on Monday for the late Princess of Greece.

The tragedy unfolding in southern Spain will have consequences for Monday’s ceremonies. It is understood that the family lunch that was planned has been cancelled. Furthermore, the King and Queen will immediately return to Spain following the ceremonies in Greece.

As head of state, King Felipe’s role in a disaster is not just ceremonial but essential to the functions of emergency planning. The King will chair future crisis committees and oversee institutional aide.

While the role is not to give public policy, the space in which the King occupies elevates national morale and acts as a focal point of leadership admits angst. We may expect members of the royal family to visit the scene of the accident or be with injured persons in the hospital.

It remains to be seen what will happen in Spain over the coming week as grief inundates the nation.