The President of the Government of Spain announces three days of official mourning for the accident in Urda

During this period of official mourning, the national flag will fly at half-mast outside all public buildings, including representations and missions abroad, and navy ships.

The president communicated this decision during a press briefing, following a visit to the site of the rail accident, where he was briefed on the status of the emergency response and the latest progress of the teams working at the scene.

"Thank you very much, Mr President, and thank you also to the mayors for their solidarity, and by extension to the residents of both Yébenes and Urda, who have gone out of their way from the very outset to look after the victims of this terrible tragedy.

Today, Spain is in mourning. All of Spain is in mourning, and we extend our full solidarity and empathy to the families of the victims, as well as to those who remain in hospital - we wish them all a speedy recovery.

Because behind each and every one of the people who have died today lie shattered lives, broken families, and the anguish of those families who still do not know the whereabouts of their loved ones. And, of course, there is a great deal of grief - a great deal of grief - which, naturally, the whole of Spanish society shares.

On behalf of the Government of Spain, I would like to state the following. First and foremost - as the mayors and the President of the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha have already noted - our main priority is the victims and their families. Our goal is to find as many survivors as possible, and to provide both material and psychological support to the injured and to the families of those affected by this terrible tragedy.

Secondly, as the president and the mayors have rightly pointed out, I believe it is very important to highlight the public service and the extraordinary professionalism demonstrated by all emergency services and Civil Protection personnel. I must also acknowledge the exceptional cooperation and coordination among all the institutions involved: from Civil Protection to the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha, the Provincial Council of Toledo, the local authorities of Urda and Yébenes, and, as the President mentioned, all the autonomous communities. Other provincial councils have also stepped forward, and I know they have spared no effort to ensure a swift response to this tragedy.

Our second objective, of course, is to establish exactly what has happened and why this tragedy has occurred. Today, the Minister for Transport, in consultation with the Minister for Home Affairs, who is here with me, and myself, have been working to determine the cause of this tragedy, of this terrible accident.

I am aware that the Independent Railway Accident Commission and - as President Page rightly pointed out earlier - the judicial authorities are carrying out their duties, but naturally the Ministry itself is also seeking to establish the causes, the origin and the reasons behind this terrible tragedy. And we will get to the bottom of this; if there has been any negligence, it will come to light, and if there have been failings in the safety system, they will be dealt with in the strongest possible terms, because it is clear that we have suffered two terrible tragedies on the high-speed rail network in the space of a single year.

It seems highly likely that the causes of the two accidents are entirely unrelated, but it is not for me to say so; rather, that is a matter for the Independent Railway Accident Commission, and, of course, for the judicial process and the investigation and review to be carried out - in this case - by Adif and Renfe and the entire railway system. What is clear, however, is that if we need - as we certainly do - to further strengthen safety in order to rebuild confidence in our high-speed rail system, this will be done; for it is simply unacceptable for a country like Spain to suffer two high-speed rail accidents in the same year, as we have. Therefore, all measures deemed appropriate will be taken with the utmost determination to rebuild that confidence in our high-speed system and, of course, to further guarantee the safety of our fellow citizens who use this service.

And finally, I would also like to announce - I have discussed this with the President of the Regional Government of Castile-La Mancha - that this afternoon we will, of course, declare three days of official mourning, as we did following the Adamuz train accident. These will be the 29th, the 30th and the 31st.

As I said earlier, at the start of this brief address, Spain is in mourning; it stands with its victims and, of course, the Government of Spain and the whole of the State stand with the victims and also with their families.

And, of course, we would like to thank the media for all the information they have been providing to the public, and especially to the victims and their families, so that they can find out how their loved ones are faring.

Thank you very much."

Non official translation