Death toll in Spain train crash rises to 45 as safety concerns mount

The death toll from Sunday's catastrophic high-speed train collision in Spain's Andalusia region has risen to 45 after rescue teams discovered two more bodies on Thursday. The victims had been missing since the accident, which has sparked a national crisis over rail safety amid a series of subsequent incidents across the country's network.

Ongoing Investigation and Possible Cause

Search operations concluded with the grim discovery, bringing closure to the search for the missing. Meanwhile, 31 people remain hospitalized, including three children, with six still in intensive care. As the investigation continues, Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente suggested the cause might be a track defect. "It doesn’t seem like a question of a lack of maintenance, and attention will have to be paid to materials and the welding," he told broadcaster COPE, indicating a potential focus on construction materials or welding integrity.

A Devastating Week for Spanish Railways

This tragedy has been compounded by further fatal incidents on Spain's railways this week, creating what local media has termed a "black week." On Tuesday, a train driver was killed in Barcelona province when a retaining wall collapsed onto the tracks during severe weather, injuring 37 passengers. In a separate incident in Murcia on Thursday, a vehicle carrying a crane intruded onto the tracks, slightly injuring six people. These events have fueled public anxiety and labor unrest, leading Spain's main train drivers' union to announce a three-day strike beginning February 9.

Mounting Safety Concerns and Government Response

In response to the mounting safety concerns and the planned strike, Minister Puente urged calm, stating that rail transport remains one of Spain's safest modes of travel. He acknowledged the need for dialogue with drivers but cautioned that demands for immediate infrastructure interventions or "absolute safety guarantees" are not instantly viable. Sunday's crash is Spain's deadliest rail disaster since 2013, when a high-speed train derailment in Galicia killed 79 people, putting immense pressure on authorities to restore public confidence in the system.