Another serious railway accident in Spain has shocked the country, as 69 people have lost their lives in a train crash in southern Madrid. The tragedy, located only nine months after another accident near Cordoba, where 46 people remained dead, has restored concerns about railway transport safety and put the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez under great pressure.
The bodies of 69 victims have been extracted from the remains of trains scattered along the tracks and below an clay. For their families, this is a devastating tragedy, while at the national level the accident has hit citizens’ trust in the railway system and the socialist government.
Official investigations into the incident in Toledo have just begun, but the clash has immediately sparked political debate, especially since the country is located just weeks away from early elections announced by Sánchez.
From the first few hours after the accident, Transport Minister Oscar Puente declared that the tragedy was human error, trying to clarify possible circumstances and responsibilities.
On Friday, Puente appeared for the second time in front of the media, where he presented what he called objective facts related to the accident as he responded to numerous criticisms against the government.
People’s Party ( The PP, in opposition, is one of the subjects who have demanded his resignation, calling it a matters of immoral and ethicality. However, after expressing great grief and sadness for the victims, the minister went into counterattacks, rejecting claims of chronic lack of investments in infrastructure.
He insisted that the Spanish security system and signalling for high-speed trains, LZB, is neither outdated nor insufficient, stressing that the same system is used in Germany and Austria.
According to data presented by the minister, the system has failed 170 times in Spain since the beginning of this year. Puente described this figure as abnormal and close to the average European Union. However, the problem, he notes, lies in procedures followed by a defect when the control line is hand – passed.
In this case, the minister mentioned a series of human errors that led to disaster. One of the key moments was a controller’s decision to give instructions to a stuck train to resume his journey. This caused the train to continue moving at speeds of up to 100 miles [160 km] an hour, although another train had been stopped on the same line in front of it.
According to Puentes, the threat of impact was evident in both audio and control screens in Madrid.
They worked. We checked. They could see what was happening, Puente confirmed.
However, the moving train was never ordered to stop.
I’m not a judge… But these are the facts. )
Asked whether he would take personal and political responsibility through his resignation, Puente said his task was to stay in the minister’s post and face the situation.
I’ll face things, explain, explain, he said.
I’ll think about how to improve the system and trust those who want to travel by train and feel safe and secure
However, restoring citizens’ trust in railway transport is expected to be difficult, especially after two serious accidents within such a short period.
This is not just a very serious accident, but the second in a very short time, points out Paco Camas of Ipsos surveys.
Meanwhile, investigations into the January accident in Adamuz, near Cordoba, are still open. Initial reports suggest that the cause may then have been a crack in the tracks, which distinguishes the case from the recent accident. However, both events have similarly affected public confidence.
For the Sánchezi government, this tragedy comes at a difficult time, as the country has faced a host of other crises. Corruption charges against persons close to the prime minister continue to be the focus of political debate, though all have been denied.
During the summer, a sudden influx of immigrants from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta sparked criticism from right-wing opponents, who accused the government of inadequacy and lack of funds.
Later, a video in which a pensioner was seen forcibly leaving her house became viral and caused street protests. In this climate, Sánchez declared early elections.
Even before the railway accident, polls were not in favour of the prime minister. Now, after the tragedy, his political position seems even more difficult. Most of the recent polls listed the centre-right People’s Party in the first place, with the possibility of forming a coalition with the far-right party, Vox.
They have this majority at almost 95% of the simulations we’ve made, Prof explains. Pablo Simon of the University of Carlos III of Madrid.
Sánchez had launched a campaign of positive tones, trying to persuade undecided voters and those who had no intention of participating in the elections to vote on the Socialists. But the accident has significantly changed the campaign climate.
They have completely lost control of the agenda and emotions of this campaign, Simon says.
In addition to the political shock, civic anger has increased in the country. Small protests have been held in Madrid over the railway accident organised by extreme right-wing groups.
Meanwhile, a large number of police officials have been put on alert this weekend, due to other possible clashes that have been warned and organised on the internet.
The signal where the truth speaks before the news!
Source Layer: Signal
