Spain’s largest train drivers’ union has called for a three-day national strike to demand measures to ensure the safety of railway workers and passengers after two crashes this week left at least 46 people dead, including two drivers.
The death toll from Sunday’s two-train crash near the Andalusian town of Adams rose from 43 to 45 after two more bodies were recovered from the crash scene Thursday afternoon. On Tuesday, a train derailed near Guerrida in Catalonia after a retaining wall collapsed, killing one driver and injuring 37 others.
On Thursday, a commuter train collided with a crane in southeastern Murcia, leaving numerous people with minor injuries. Officials said the accident was caused by “intrusion by a crane not belonging to railway operations” and that the train did not derail or overturn.
Following the Adams and Guerrida accidents, Spain’s train drivers’ union Semaf announced industrial action. It also caused train drivers to stop and halt train services in Catalonia, affecting around 400,000 travelers.
The union announced that the strike would take place for three days, from February 9 to 11, and said the action was “the only legal recourse left for workers to demand the restoration of safety standards in the railway system and, as a result, guarantee the safety of both railway workers and passengers.”
Semakh called on relevant authorities to address “numerous reports” of poor conditions at the horse fields and ensure people’s safety, saying they “have been inactive for months, even years, with no answers.”
It added: “The serious accidents at Adams and Guerrida both claimed lives and represent a turning point requiring all necessary measures to ensure the safety of rail operations.”
Spain’s Transport Minister Oscar Puente said he understood drivers’ concerns but hoped a strike could be avoided and that the shutdown in Catalonia needed to end. He stressed that the two accidents were “completely unrelated.” The Guelida incident is believed to have been caused by heavy rain.
“This is a very difficult week,” he told Radio Catalunya on Thursday morning. “We need to remain calm and get the situation where it needs to be. Two horrific incidents have occurred in a very short period of time and I think it has had a huge impact on the morale of the train drivers. We hope that the situation will be resolved soon.”
Investigators continue to examine the Adams accident scene and the wreckage of the two trains. The accident occurred at 7:40pm on Sunday when a high-speed train from Malaga to Madrid derailed, ran onto another track and collided with an oncoming train from Madrid to Huelva.
Media reports said investigators were focusing on a 30 cm (12 inch) crack in the railroad tracks at the accident site.
“There is an initial point where we believe the derailment occurred,” Puente told radio network Cadenaser on Monday night. “Now we have to decide whether it was cause or effect. It’s not an easy question and it’s not going to be quick or easy. We have to send the truck to the lab. We have to determine what happened. We can’t rule out anything at this point.”
Puente said marks were found on the wheels of the first five cars of the high-speed train and on the wheels of another train that was traveling on the same track before the derailment.
“The question now is how those traces appeared,” he told TV station Telecinco. “Was there something on the track, or was the track itself starting to fail? At this point, it is impossible to draw any conclusions about the cause of these marks.”
Spain’s efforts to commemorate the dead have been marred by familiar political infighting. A spokesperson for the far-right party Vox said the Adams tragedy was evidence of the decline of the country’s once-great rail service.
“All Spaniards are seeing with their own eyes that it is not safe to travel and the damage is getting worse day by day,” Pepa Millan said, adding that “Spaniards are afraid to ride trains.”
Vox leader Santiago Abascal has sought to link Adams’ accident to a series of corruption allegations hanging over the socialist-led government. “Corruption destroys trust in our institutions,” he said. “And corruption kills.”
The conservative People’s Party (PP) called on Puente, who has made numerous media appearances in recent days, to provide “absolute transparency”.
“The minister is a good speaker,” said PP Infrastructure spokesman Juan Bravo. “But it’s time for him to give an explanation instead of spending two hours saying nothing.”
Government spokeswoman Elma Saiz said Abascal’s comments were abhorrent. “Abascal’s behavior is despicable given the two tragic nights we have endured while dozens of injured people are still hospitalized and all bodies have not been recovered,” she said. “Using tragedy and fear to create confusion and distrust is anti-democratic and inhumane.”
