The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has expressed his condolences and solidarity with Spain in a message posted on his social media accounts following the Spanish high-speed train crash which took place this morning in the province of Toledo near the town of Urda: a tragedy that has so far left at least 68 people dead and more than 100 injured.
Erdoğan posted a message on his official social media profile in which he wished to convey his condolences for the serious train accident that occurred this morning in Toledo: “I express my condolences to those affected by the train accident that occurred this morning in our friend Spain,” wrote the Turkish leader.
“On behalf of my country and my people, I wholeheartedly share the grief of those who have lost their loved ones in the accident and send messages of unity and solidarity from Türkiye to the Spanish people and the Spanish Government,” he added.
No Turkish victims in the Toledo train crash
The Turkish Embassy in Spain and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also expressed their deep sorrow early this morning for the fatalities in the train accident in Toledo; both institutions conveyed their condolences to the families of the deceased and to the Spanish people, and confirmed that there are no Turkish citizens amongst the victims.
“We express our condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives and to the people of Spain, and we wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” stated the official statement from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ömer Çelik, spokesperson for the Justice and Development Party (AKP) – President Erdoğan’s party – also expressed his sorrow at the tragedy: “We are following the loss of life with deep sorrow. We extend our most sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives in the accident, and we wish a speedy recovery to the injured. We reiterate that we stand alongside the people and the Government of our friend and ally Spain at this difficult time,” he said.
The Turkish Embassy in Madrid subsequently announced on Wednesday afternoon that the events scheduled for 29 October to mark Republic Day (Turkey’s national holiday) had been postponed indefinitely, “in line with the three-day period of official mourning declared by the Spanish authorities”, and took the opportunity to “reiterate our condolences to the Spanish people as a whole”.
Second fatal high-speed train accident in just 10 months
This is the second rail accident to have occurred in just ten months on the high-speed line linking Madrid with Andalusia. This infrastructure, the first of its kind to be opened in Spain in the early 1990s, has suffered in recent years from increasing maintenance problems, a lack of punctuality and recurring technical faults.
Today’s high-speed train crash in Toledo is even more serious than a similar accident that occurred last January in Adamuz, in the province of Cordoba (in southern Spain), which left 46 people dead and 292 injured, and the causes and responsibilities for which have yet to be clarified.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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