A Catholic priest in Spain has prayed for victims of a deadly train crash and given collective absolution to those who feared they were close to death.
Fr Fernando Fernández de Bobadilla was among the first to reach the scene near Urda in central Spain, where at least 69 people were killed when two high-speed trains collided on Wednesday.
Dozens of people remain in hospital, with some in critical condition.
Speaking to Catholic magazine Vida Nueva, Fr Fernández de Bobadilla said he had offered collective absolution to those who might be in danger of dying.
“I gave collective absolution, which is taught to us in the theology of the sacrament of penance. In disaster situations, collective absolution can be given even without individual confession.”
He said he wanted to offer spiritual comfort to those facing the possibility of death.
“I did what I felt I could do at that moment and what nobody else could do at that moment: forgive their sins and prepare them in case the Lord called them to heaven.”
The 71-year-old parish priest of Los Yébenes had been on his way to a health centre for a routine appointment when a friend called to tell him about the crash. He drove straight to the scene and arrived before most medical teams.
“What I found was horrific, with people wandering around, seriously injured people and the dead lying on the ground,” he said.
As well as praying for victims, he helped emergency workers care for the injured, holding up intravenous fluid bags, supporting people's heads and helping move them on to makeshift stretchers.
“You take one person's hand, ask another how they are and what hurts, and simply tell someone else: ‘I'm the priest and I'm going to pray for you’,” he said.
He recalled how people responded differently to his attempts to comfort them, with some squeezing his hand and others unable to respond because they were in shock or unconscious.
The Archbishop of Toledo, Most Rev Francisco Cerro, also attended the scene alongside other priests, who prayed for the dead as their bodies were recovered.
“There was little more I could do than say one prayer for the dead after another as the bodies were removed from the carriage,” Fr Fernández de Bobadilla continued.
He praised the emergency response, saying the different services had worked together effectively.
“Everything was working wonderfully,” he said.
The priest left the scene at about 14:00, after the injured had been evacuated and firefighters confirmed that heavy machinery would be needed to move the train carriages.
Reflecting on his ministry, he said his priority had been to offer kindness and companionship to people struggling to comprehend what had happened.
“In a crossroads like this, you simply have to make people feel the presence of someone who speaks kindly, who welcomes them and embraces them. It is about being there and making them feel close to you. Because it is impossible to make sense of what is happening, and reasoning is useless,” he said.
He added that his faith gave him confidence that God could reach people even when he could not find the words to help them.
“I firmly believe that if I am unable to reach the heart of this injured man or woman, God is able to reach their heart. My role as an intermediary may be simple and apparently useless, but God knows how to make use of the cracks."