Spain's Deadly Train Crash Shakes Up Election Campaign

A deadly train crash in Spain is causing big problems for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez just weeks before a national election. The crash happened on Wednesday in Toledo province and killed 68 people. Experts and regular citizens are now asking whether the government spent enough money to keep trains safe. This was the second deadly crash on the same rail line in just nine months.

Sanchez visited the crash site and called the event a "terrible tragedy." He promised to look into what went wrong and fix any safety problems that were found. He said it was "unacceptable" for Spain to have two deadly high-speed rail crashes in the same year. His words showed just how serious the situation had become for his government.

Before the crash, Sanchez had been trying to win back voters ahead of the November 29 election. He had been behind in most polls, but a recent survey showed his party moving ahead. He was running an upbeat campaign, appearing on talk shows and podcasts to reach undecided voters. The crash quickly changed the tone of his entire campaign.

Sanchez's opponents called for answers right away. Alberto Nuñez Feijoo, the leader of the conservative People's Party, said the country deserved answers to urgent questions. Hundreds of protesters — many from far-right groups — also gathered outside Spain's Transport Ministry in Madrid, calling for Sanchez to resign. Santiago Abascal of the far-right Vox party accused the government of destroying the country's infrastructure.

Spain's Transport Minister Oscar Puente defended the rail system, calling it "reliable and safe." He said every type of transport has limits, whether because of the equipment or human actions. He also declined to say whether he would step down from his job, stating it was "not the time" to talk about himself. His response did little to quiet the anger many people felt.

Public trust in Spain's trains had already been dropping before this latest crash. A poll taken after the first crash earlier this year found that 57% of people thought rail services had gotten worse under Sanchez's leadership. Nearly 60% said they had little or no trust in Spain's railway system. High-speed rail travel had also fallen by 15% in the first half of this year compared to the year before.

Spain has about 4,000 kilometers of high-speed rail track — the second-largest network in the world after China's. Sanchez had once been proud of this system and used it as a symbol of Spain's progress. Now, that same network could be hurting his chances of winning the election. Investigators are still looking into the cause of the first crash, with early reports pointing to a crack in the rail before the train went off the tracks.

Sanchez had called the surprise early election partly because of anger over the eviction of an elderly woman named Maricarmen Abascal. She had lived in her home for more than 70 years before being forced out, and she later died. Her story sparked protests across Spain and brought attention to a housing crisis that polls say is the top concern for most Spaniards. With the election just weeks away, Sanchez now faces major challenges on several issues at once.