Spanish bishops call for prayers after train crash near Toledo kills at least 46

The Spanish Bishops' Conference, Spain's counterpart of the USCCB, said it was deeply pained and dismayed by the rail accident on Wednesday, October 28, near Urda, in the province of Toledo in central Spain. An Iryo train, run by a private high-speed operator, was struck from behind by an AVE high-speed train operated by Renfe, the state rail company. At least 46 people were killed and many others injured. The Church joined the mourning of the victims and their families, praying for the eternal rest of the dead.

In a statement, the conference asked the Christian community to pray for all the victims of the crash in its liturgical celebrations. "We join in the pain of the victims and their families, and we raise our prayers for the eternal rest of the dead and for the swift recovery of the injured," it said. The conference entrusted the dead, and the hope of the families affected, to the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Consoler of the Afflicted and Queen of Peace.

The bishop of Getafe, Ginés García Beltrán, also said he was deeply pained by the crash. He wrote on X: "We join in the pain of the victims and their families, and we raise our prayers for the eternal rest of the dead and for the swift recovery of the injured. May the Lord sustain and console those affected." He asked that those affected be kept at the heart of the community's prayer.

Hospitals in Toledo, Alcázar de San Juan and Ciudad Real suspended all non-urgent activity to devote all their resources to treating the injured. Health services issued an urgent appeal to the public for blood donations, saying transfusions were needed immediately to treat those hurt in the crash.

The Church also prayed for everyone working in the emergency response, those treating the injured and those supporting the victims' families, asking that they find strength in their work of service and solidarity at a time of distress.