Spain's King and Queen attend memorial for rail crash victims
The royal couple joined politicians and relatives at a cathedral service to honour 69 people killed in the Urda train accident.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain attended a memorial service for the 69 victims of a train crash that occurred last month near Urda, according to BBC News.
The accident happened on the Madrid-Seville line when a high-speed train hit a stationary train. The crash, located about 40 miles from Toledo, was Spain's worst rail tragedy since 2013.
Archbishop Cerro Chaves told those at the service that the accident in Urda has left families, towns, and society with a pain that is difficult to accept. During the Catholic Mass, representatives of the deceased placed lit candles near the main altar.
The service was attended by several senior politicians, including People's Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo, Castilla-La Mancha president Emiliano García-Page, and Transport and Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo. Cuerpo assumed the transport portfolio after Óscar Puente resigned last week.
Puente had faced pressure following the crash, which followed another collision in January that killed 46 people on the same high-speed line. Puente suggested human error and a safety system glitch may have caused the recent accident.
The memorial occurred while train drivers were conducting a nationwide strike to demand improved rail safety. An investigation into the Urda accident remains in progress.