Union is demanding better safety standards for workers and passengers after two collisions this week killed 44<\/b>
\nUnion is demanding better safety standards for workers and passengers after two collisions this week killed 44
Spain\u2019s largest train drivers\u2019 union has called a three-day nationwide strike to demand measures to guarantee the safety of rail workers and passengers after two deadly crashes this week killed at least 44 people, including two drivers.
At least 43 people died and dozens more were injured after two trains collided on Sunday near the town of Adamuz, in the C\u00f3rdoba province in Andaluc\u00eda. Two days later, a driver was killed and 37 people were injured when a train was derailed by the collapse of a retaining wall near Gelida in Catalonia.
On Thursday, a number of people were lightly injured when a commuter train in the south-eastern region of Murcia crashed into a crane. Authorities said the incident was caused by \u201cthe intrusion \u2026 of a crane not belonging to the railway operation\u201d, and the train was not derailed or overturned.
The accidents in Adamuz and Gelida led the Spanish railway drivers\u2019 union Semaf to announce industrial action. They have also prompted a stoppage by drivers that has shut down Catalonia\u2019s regional rail services, affecting about 400,000 travellers.
The union said three days of strikes would be held from 9 to 11 February, saying the action was \u201cthe only legal avenue left for workers to demand the restoration of safety standards on the railway system and, consequently, guarantee the safety of both railway professionals and passengers\u201d.
Semaf called for the relevant authorities to ensure people\u2019s safety by addressing the \u201cnumerous reports\u201d on poor track conditions that it said had gone \u201cunanswered and inactive for months, or even years\u201d.
It added: \u201cThe serious accidents in Adamuz and Gelida, both of which resulted in people losing their lives, represent a turning point in demanding that all necessary actions be taken to guarantee the safety of railway operations.\u201d
Spain\u2019s transport minister, \u00d3scar Puente, said he understood drivers\u2019 concerns but hoped the strikes could be averted, and he said the stoppage in Catalonia needed to end. He has stressed that the two accidents were \u201ccompletely unrelated\u201d. The Gelida incident is thought to have been caused by heavy rainfall.
\u201cThis is a very difficult week,\u201d he told Catalunya R\u00e0dio on Thursday morning. \u201cWe need to remain calm and get this where it needs to be. Two terrible incidents have occurred in a very short space of time, and I believe that is significantly impacting the morale of the train drivers. I hope the situation will be resolved soon.\u201d
Investigators are continuing to examine the crash site in Adamuz and the wreckage of the two trains. The accident happened at 7.40pm on Sunday when a high-speed train travelling from M\u00e1laga to Madrid derailed, crossing on to another track where it hit an oncoming train travelling from Madrid to Huelva.
Media reports suggest investigators are focusing on a 30cm (12-inch) crack in the track at the accident site.
\u201cThere\u2019s an initial point where the derailment is believed to have occurred,\u201d Puente told the radio network Cadena Ser on Monday night. \u201cNow we have to determine if it\u2019s the cause or the consequence. It\u2019s not a trivial matter, and it won\u2019t be quick or easy. We\u2019ll have to send the track to the lab; we have to determine what happened. At this point, nothing can be ruled out.\u201d
Puente said marks had been found on the wheels of the first five carriages of the high-speed train, and on the wheels of other trains that had travelled along the same stretch of track before the derailment.
\u201cThe question now is how those marks appeared,\u201d the minister told the TV channel Telecinco. \u201cWas there something on the tracks, or was the track itself beginning to break down? At this point, it\u2019s not possible to draw any conclusions about what caused those marks.\u201d
Spain\u2019s efforts to mourn the dead have been marred by familiar political squabbles. A spokesperson for the far-right Vox party said the Adamuz tragedy was proof of the decline of the country\u2019s once-great rail services.
\u201cAll Spaniards can see with their own eyes that it\u2019s not safe to travel and that the damage is getting worse by the day,\u201d Pepa Mill\u00e1n said, adding: \u201cSpaniards are scared to get on a train.\u201d
Vox\u2019s leader, Santiago Abascal, has attempted to link the Adamuz accident to the series of corruption allegations that have enveloped the socialist-led government. \u201cCorruptions destroys confidence in our institutions,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd corruption kills.\u201d
Meanwhile, the conservative People\u2019s party (PP) called for Puente, who has made numerous media appearances over the past few days, to provide \u201cabsolute transparency\u201d.
\u201cThe minister has a knack for talking,\u201d said the PP infrastructure spokesperson, Juan Bravo. \u201cBut it\u2019s time for him to offer explanations and not spend two hours saying nothing.\u201d
The government\u2019s spokesperson Elma Saiz said Abascal\u2019s comments were abhorrent. \u201cGiven the two tragic nights we\u2019ve just endured, with dozens of injured still hospitalised and not all the bodies recovered, Abascal\u2019s attitude is despicable,\u201d she said. \u201cUsing tragedy and fear to generate chaos and distrust is an anti-democratic and inhumane act.\u201d<\/p>\n