What caused three Spain train crashes? Union calls strike after 46 deaths
Authorities looking for answers as union calls strike after fatal crashes
Spanish train drivers are striking over unsafe conditions after three crashes this week have led to the combined deaths of at least 46 people.
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A union today (Friday) called for walkouts after the incidents, the latest of which saw a commuter train in the south-eastern region of Murcia crash into a crane on Thursday.
The first incident was the most deadly, with 39 people losing their lives in Adamuz. A survivor said: “The lights went out in our carriage, the train began to shake and people started screaming.”
Semaf, the train drivers’ union in Spain, told the Guardian the strikes will be held from February 9-11.
The three train crashes were:
- Thirty-nine people were killed and more than 170 injured when two trains collided at Adamuz, Cordoba, on Sunday evening, travelling between Malaga and Madrid,
- At least seven died, including the driver, when a train crashed and derailed in Gelida, near Barcelona, with at least 37 injured in the incident on Tuesday,
- Six were injured on Thursday in a train collision in the southern settlement of Alumbres, in Cartagena.
“The 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,” Semraf said in a statement.
Authorities have said that the crashes have been unrelated, with the causes being separate circumstances in each incident.
Amid three days of mourning, Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez said: "When we find the answer, with absolute transparency we will make it known to Spaniards.
"We extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the deceased, as well as our best wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured.”
Why are so many Spanish trains crashing?
Here are some of the factors thought to be behind the recent crashes, as investigations continue.
Bad weather
Spain’s transport minister, Óscar Puente, said that bad weather was to blame for the incident near Barcelona on Tuesday and that he understands concerns, but the crashes are unrelated.
He told Catalunya Radio: “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.”
Of this incident, local officials said that the Rodalies commuter train collided with a retaining wall which had fallen onto the tracks between Gelida and Sant Sadurni.
Cracks in tracks
As for the first incident, an official investigation is underway, but, according to the Guardian, a 30cm crack in the track has been found at the crash site in Adamuz, near Cordoba.
Five carriages of the high speed train went over this crack. The train, which was carrying 317 passengers, left the tracks and ended up on an adjacent line - slamming into another train.
The crack is being investigated. The Guardian quoted Mr Puente, the transport minister, as saying: “Now we have to determine if it’s the cause or the consequence.
“It’s not a trivial matter, and it won’t be quick or easy. We’ll have to send the track to the lab; we have to determine what happened. At this point, nothing can be ruled out.”
The line is being examined in a laboratory, with investigators mindful that the cracked track theory is quite simplistic and may have come about as a result of the crash - rather than being the cause of it.
"Many pieces of the puzzle” - Signalling issue flagged
The Adamuz incident was the worst Spanish rail disaster since 2013 and special attention in the probe is looking into why the sixth carriage over the affected track was the first to derail.
Mr Puente, quoted by the BBC, said the incident was “extremely strange” and that there are "many pieces of the puzzle".
The BBC also reported that Spanish rail infrastructure administrator Adif had drawn attention to eight technical issues on the line in the past year, mostly related to errors with signalling.
Carriage struck a crane
The third, and least serious, of the three crashes is still being investigated, but it is said that this was an isolated incident that happened when one of the carriages came into contact with a crane.
The mayor of Murcia, Noelia Arroyo, told local newspaper El País: "Apparently, as the train passed, it collided with the articulated arm that was sticking out above the track, and the train grazed it as it passed."