Around 1,500 people gathered outside Spain's transport ministry in Madrid on Wednesday night to protest against a deadly train crash in the central province of Toledo that killed 68 people.
The protesters demanded the resignations of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and transport minister Óscar Puente, calling for accountability over the incident, the BBC reported.
Riot police were deployed as far-right demonstrators clashed with officers, Al Jazeera reported. Police also fired tear gas to disperse the crowds after protesters hurled bottles and flares, according to the BBC.
Deep Dive
What caused the deadly train crash in Spain’s Toledo province?
Why are protesters calling for Pedro Sánchez and the transport minister to resign?
Were train services suspended after the Spain train crash?
The demonstration was organised after a union linked to the far-right Vox party called for protests outside the transport ministry. No injuries were reported during the protests.
{{/usCountry}}The demonstration was organised after a union linked to the far-right Vox party called for protests outside the transport ministry. No injuries were reported during the protests.
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The train crash has dealt a fresh blow to Sánchez, who is already facing a difficult campaign ahead of Spain's November 29 general election. Opinion polls currently show the conservative People’s Party leading the race, with Vox gaining ground, Bloomberg reported.
The protests demanding resignations, coupled with a planned strike by train drivers over railway safety concerns, could further complicate matters for Sánchez's ruling Spanish Socialist Workers' Party.
Spain's second train crash this year; minister points to human error
Wednesday's crash was Spain's second major train disaster this year. In January, 46 people were killed when a train derailed and collided with another travelling in the opposite direction in southern Spain.
The latest crash occurred after one train struck another from behind, allegedly due to a communication failure.
At around 8.30 am (local time) on Wednesday, the Spanish railway's automatic safety system stopped working, transport minister Puente said. All trains in the affected area were halted, and a control centre in Madrid, operated by state-owned railway infrastructure company Adif, took over operations, Bloomberg reported.
However, at around 8.36 am, someone at the Adif control centre instructed a train operated by state-owned Renfe to resume its journey, despite a red signal indicating that another train was stationary further down the line.
The Renfe train subsequently travelled another 25 kilometres along a stretch where speeds of up to 200 kilometres per hour were permitted, before crashing into a stationary train operated by Iryo, a company controlled by Italy's state-owned Ferrovie dello Stato.
Puente described the instruction to allow the Renfe train to resume its journey as "inexplicable" and said the train drivers were not at fault, the Associated Press reported.
The minister said the train should never have been allowed to move while a "stop signal" remained active on the line.
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Opposition demands investigation, far-right leader slams Sánchez
People's Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo, Sánchez's main political rival, demanded a full investigation into the crash but stopped short of directly attacking the government. He also cancelled his party's campaign events for the day as a mark of respect for the victims.
“This is the moment to respect the dead, the injured and their families. That does not mean we will ignore the fact that Spaniards are asking tough questions that demand answers,” Núñez Feijóo said.
Vox leader Santiago Abascal, however, launched a sharp attack on Sánchez within hours of the crash.
“More dead. Another tragedy. More rage over being left to fend for ourselves, the despair and the betrayal that Spaniards are enduring,” Abascal said.
(With inputs from AP and Bloomberg)