Rescuers searched wrecked rail cars Thursday for more survivors of Spain's second deadly high-speed train crash this year, which has killed 68 people.
Emergency workers were seen carrying what appeared to be a body wrapped in a blanket from one of the trains in a rural area in the central province of Toledo as cranes worked through the night to lift parts of the wreckage of Wednesday's crash.
"Rescue teams are still working very carefully, because we still cannot say with certainty that there are no more victims trapped in the twisted wreckage," Esther Padilla, a spokeswoman for the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha, told TVE.
"A canine unit was deployed yesterday. They will go back in today to make sure that nobody else remains there," she added.
Meanwhile, train drivers in Spain went ahead with a previously planned strike to press for more investment in railway safety after Europe's deadliest train accident since a 2013 derailment in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
The crash, which followed another fatal accident in January involving the same rail companies on the same line, has also upended campaigning for a Nov. 29 snap election, with the leaders of Spain's two main parties suspending campaign events.
Spain's government has declared three days of national mourning for those killed when one high-speed train hit another.
Leaders travel to crash area
Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was due to travel to Toledo Thursday morning to take part in a meeting to monitor and coordinate the emergency response.
Meanwhile, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, leader of the center-right People's Party, which is currently leading in polls, was due to travel to the town of Urda near the crash site.
The crash has reopened a debate about safety on Spain's railways, Europe's longest and until recently a source of pride in the country.
Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente said Wednesday the crash happened after several trains stopped automatically due to a signal failure.
A state-run Renfe train was then authorized to proceed at normal speed even though there was a stationary Iryo-operated train ahead.
SEMAF, the Spanish train drivers' union, said it did not want to speculate on the cause of the crash.
"We wish to exercise caution until we have a detailed understanding of exactly what happened, so as not to engage in speculation," SEMAF said in a statement late Wednesday.
SEMAF said train drivers would proceed with the strike, planned before the accident to press for structural changes in railway safety, and that it was considering further action.