Spain's King and Queen Visit Hospital Patients After Toledo Train Crash
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain traveled to Toledo to visit people injured in a train crash. The king went to Toledo University Hospital, where many of the wounded were being treated.
The crash happened in Urda, a town in the Toledo region of central Spain. It involved two trains, and it was a high-speed rail accident, according to CBC News. At least 68 people were killed, according to Town & Country. The number of people receiving hospital treatment was put at 58.
The regional government of Castilla-La Mancha confirmed the death toll. Emiliano García-Page, the region's president, joined the king and queen in Toledo.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced three days of official national mourning. The government said it would decree the mourning across the country, and flags and public events will be affected during that period, according to the Spanish government's announcement.
The royal family also canceled all of its previously scheduled engagements for the week after the crash, according to Town & Country.
For readers outside Spain, a quick note on the king's role. Spain is a constitutional monarchy. The king is head of state, but he does not run the government, which is led by the prime minister and elected lawmakers. The job of the monarch is largely ceremonial. In a crisis like this one, it often means showing up in person, sitting with families and staff, and standing with the public.
Friends of the couple, palace aides and the court have not said publicly how long the royal visits will last or whether more are planned. Officials have not announced any cause for the crash. Investigations into how the two trains came to be on the same stretch of track are the kind of question that usually takes months to answer, and no timeline has been given.
The human part of this story is simple. Dozens of families are grieving, and dozens of people are still in hospital beds. The king and queen went to see them. The country now has three days of official mourning to observe.
