The Atlético Madrid midfielder and Korea interim coach Robert Moreno offered condolences after a deadly rail collision near Toledo.
National football team interim manager Robert Moreno, left, and Lee Kang-in listen to questions at a press conference before Korea’s friendly against Uruguay on Sept. 27.
NEWS1
Atlético Madrid’s Lee Kang-in and Robert Moreno, the Spanish interim head manager of Korea’s national football team, expressed condolences to the families of victims of a deadly train collision in Spain.
Moreno posted a message via Instagram Stories on Wednesday, the day of the accident.
“My condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the Toledo train accident,” Moreno wrote in Spanish. “I send my heartfelt sympathy and support to everyone affected by this tragedy.”
Lee, who lives in Madrid, shared a condolence post from his club, Atlético Madrid, along with a praying hands emoji to express his sympathy.
In a post on Instagram, Atlético Madrid expressed its condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed in the accident and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
Robert Moreno shares a message via Instagram Stories on Oct. 28 to express his condolences, left, and Lee Kang-in shares a post uploaded by Atlético Madrid to express his condolences via Instagram Stories on Oct. 28.
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The accident occurred at around 8:54 a.m. Wednesday near Urda, outside Toledo in Castilla-La Mancha.
An AVE high-speed train struck the rear of another train, operated by private railway company Iryo, that was traveling in the same direction at the 118-kilometer (73-mile) mark of the high-speed rail line connecting Madrid and Seville.
At least 68 people were killed and 80 injured in the collision, Spanish daily El País and other local media reported. Two Korean nationals aboard the trains were also confirmed to have been injured.
The impact caused two carriages of the Iryo train and one carriage of the AVE train to derail and plunge down an embankment. A total of 544 people were aboard the two trains, including 397 on the AVE train and 147 on the Iryo train, one of whom was an infant. Of the 80 injured, 50 were seriously hurt. The death toll could rise further given the large number of passengers aboard the trains.
The Royal Spanish Football Federation also announced Wednesday that it would postpone all matches organized by the federation, including 24 Copa del Rey matches scheduled for the day.
The federation said the Spanish football community stood united in grief over the tragedy and was ready to work with authorities to assist the victims.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.