Spain Begins National Mourning as Political Fallout Grows After Rail Crash
Three days of national mourning have begun for the 68 victims in Urda, amid protests in Madrid and scrutiny over rail safety oversight.
Spain has begun three days of national mourning following the train collision in Urda that killed 68 people. Emergency services continue searching the wreckage using drones and canine units, while the Civil Guard has opened centers to collect DNA samples from relatives of the missing, newspaper The Guardian reported.
Meanwhile, political pressure is mounting on Transport Minister Óscar Puente. According to German newspaper Handelsblatt, protests took place outside the Transport Ministry in Madrid. Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported that just three weeks before the disaster, the State Railway Safety Agency certified that the rail network was operating within "acceptable risk levels" and rejected petitions to halt rail traffic.
Final findings from the official investigation have not yet been released.
Sources: El Mundo, El Mundo, El Mundo, Guardian World, N1 Croatia, Handelsblatt
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