Spain has declared three days of national mourning as the country comes to terms with the aftermath of the railway tragedy in the province of Toledo, where at least 69 people lost their lives in a collision between passenger trains. The disaster also left survivors injured and struggling to process what they had experienced. Among them was a Greek family whose holiday turned into a nightmare.

The mother and her two sons, 21-year-old Mario and 18-year-old Christos, arrived in Madrid by plane on Saturday and were traveling to Seville to visit the city — “unfortunately,” as El País puts it. According to the Spanish newspaper, the mother, confined to a wheelchair and suffering from a broken collarbone, preferred to let her sons speak on her behalf. “I’m still in a state of shock,” she said in English.

Mario and Christos described to the Spanish newspaper how, shortly before the accident, they had become separated when the older brother and their mother went to the restaurant car for breakfast. They were about to collect their order when the violent collision sent them flying. “Suddenly, time stood still,” Mario said.

They collided with other passengers and fell on top of one another. The restaurant car derailed, and for several seconds a “terrible noise” could be heard. The space filled with a strong smell of earth, while the carriage ended up tilted at an angle of approximately 30 degrees.

They managed to get to their feet almost immediately and called their younger brother, who was unharmed. According to the younger brother, he survived because, shortly before the collision, he decided to move into the seat his older brother had left vacant. The seat where he had been sitting just minutes earlier was flung away during the crash.

The three family members managed to find one another again, get off the train, and make their way to a field planted with almond trees. While the two brothers were talking, their mother looked at her mobile phone and burst into tears, according to El País. Her sons hugged her and tried to comfort her.

The family said they were grateful for the medical care and human support they received. When the language barrier made communication difficult, they used gestures to understand one another. Particularly moving for them was the fact that a local volunteer drove them in his car from the accident site to a nearby village before they were taken to hospital.

After everything they have been through, they plan to return to Madrid to rest. They no longer feel able to continue their journey to Seville. However, they still do not know how they will manage to return.