The railway accident that occurred on Wednesday, October 28 in Urda (Toledo) has struck the CEU. Carlos Ortiz, director of the Group’s Schools Area and of Colegio CEU San Pablo Sanchinarro, has not been located, while Javier Tello, the institution’s general director, was injured, according to El Español, which cites sources from the group itself.
Those sources explained to the newspaper that two members of the Asociación Católica de Propagandistas (ACdP) who hold executive positions at CEU were traveling on one of the trains. Regarding Tello, they added, it is known that he has been located, that he is “fine” and that he remains “under observation.” In contrast, there is no news about Ortiz. The institution has called for caution and respect until there is confirmed information.
A collision on the Madrid-Seville high-speed line
According to El Español’s account, the accident occurred at 8:54 a.m. at kilometer 118 of the Madrid-Seville high-speed line, near Urda, when a Renfe AVE collided with an Iryo train that was stopped. The newspaper then reported at least 68 fatalities and dozens of injuries, and noted that the LZB safety system was down due to a computer error, that the ERTMS was still under testing, and that the backup ASFA system never activated.
Telecinco later raised the toll to 69 dead and about fifty injured who remain hospitalized. The network also reported that Ortiz was traveling, according to a friend, in the first car of one of the trains and that the news has shocked students and teachers at the Sanchinarro school.
Tello, hospitalized and out of danger
Regarding Tello’s condition, Telecinco reported that he was admitted to intensive care and is now out of danger. For its part, Libre Mercado describes the CEU community as shocked and distressed by Ortiz’s whereabouts, and notes that it has expressed its support for the affected families.
CEU, founded and directed by the ACdP, comprises schools, universities and other educational institutions. Ortiz is responsible for the group’s network of schools, including the one in Sanchinarro, Madrid.
The Urda tragedy has also mobilized the Church in the area. InfoVaticana reported how the clergy of Toledo was on the front line among the twisted wreckage, where some priests arrived before the ambulances to administer absolution to the injured.