Spain train disaster clouds Sánchez chances of re-election

The breaking news from Spain this week was shocking but also shockingly familiar: another collision on the high-speed rail line south from Madrid, with reports of dozens killed.

It is just nine months since two trains crashed near Cordoba, killing 46 people. Now 69 bodies have been recovered here in central Spain, from wreckage strewn over the tracks and down an embankment.

For the victims' families it is devastating; a personal tragedy.

But it is also a national disaster that has shattered confidence in the country's rail network and the Socialist-led government of Pedro Sánchez. It is playing out just weeks before the snap general election he called.

The formal investigation into the Toledo train disaster has only just been launched but the government has been quick to take control of the narrative.

From the first hours after the collision, Transport Minister Oscar Puente began suggesting "human error" was to blame, batting responsibility as far as possible from the cabinet.

On Friday, he appeared before the press for a second time to set out what he called the "objective facts" of the crash and counter a surge of criticism against the government.

The opposition People's Party (PP) is among those calling for his resignation as a "moral" and "ethical" move.

Kaynak: BBC News World RSS (Açık Basın / Haber Servisi)