Sánchez Meets Rail Officials After Crash Kills at Least 69, Deepening Election Pressure
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 31
Sánchez Meets Rail Officials After Crash Kills at Least 69, Deepening Election Pressure
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 31
Summary
At Madrid’s Atocha station, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez held a lengthy meeting with train traffic control officials after a crash that killed at least 69 people, less than a month before Spain’s Nov. 29 election.
The government has blamed the traffic control center for the disaster, putting scrutiny on rail management as Sánchez tries to contain political fallout from one of Spain’s deadliest recent accidents.
Voters interviewed at the station said two mass-casualty rail accidents this year had shaken confidence in the train system and in Sánchez, with some undecided or leaning away from his Socialist Party.
The crash lands on top of a January train disaster that killed 46 and a series of other crises during Sánchez’s eight years in power, reinforcing his position as an election underdog.