The death toll from the high-speed train collision on the Madrid-Andalusia line has risen to 68, making it one of Spain's deadliest rail disasters in recent years.

Spanish authorities said the collision occurred on the high-speed railway linking the capital, Madrid, with the southern region of Andalusia, when a Renfe AVE train struck an Iryo-operated high-speed train that had come to a halt on the tracks in the Castilla-La Mancha region. Rescue teams continued searching the wreckage as officials warned the toll could still increase.

Emiliano García-Page, president of the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, said 44 of those killed were passengers on the Iryo train, while 24 were travelling on the Renfe AVE service.

He added that 53 people remain hospitalized, including 15 in critical condition.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez declared three days of national mourning and pledged a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy. Preliminary findings indicate that a communications failure in the signalling system, followed by an erroneous authorization for the Renfe train to proceed despite a red signal, may have contributed to the crash, although the official investigation remains ongoing.

The accident has disrupted rail services between Madrid and southern Spain and renewed scrutiny of safety procedures on the country's high-speed rail network. (ILKHA)