Feijoo urges unions to call off Spain strike after Toledo train deaths
Spain's opposition leader asked unions to cancel the 11 November general strike after all 69 Toledo-area train crash victims were formally identified.
Spanish authorities said on Monday they had identified all 69 people killed in the high-speed train collision near Urda, Toledo, after confirming the identities of three more victims, French outlet Sud Ouest reported. The toll comprised 54 Spanish nationals and 15 foreigners, including four Americans, two Australians, two Japanese nationals and one person each from Argentina, Canada, France, Mexico, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Tunisia.
Opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo used the completed toll to renew his call for unions to cancel a general strike planned for 11 November. "I don't question the constitutional right to strike. I question whether this is the right moment," he told a breakfast event organised by Europa Press on Tuesday. He said the strike, called against the opposition, had been a mistake from the start, and that "69 deaths later it's a serious mistake."
Government spokeswoman Elma Saiz, speaking after a cabinet meeting, defended the right to strike as fundamental and said victims' grief should not be used politically, EFE reported. The leaders of Spain's two largest unions, CCOO and UGT, said the strike also aimed to defend investment in public services.
The Renfe high-speed train hit the back of an Iryo train on the same track after the Iryo train had stopped because of a signalling failure; the control centre authorised the Renfe train to resume for reasons still unclear, Sud Ouest reported. It was Spain's second high-speed rail collision this year, after a January crash in Andalusia killed 46 people.
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What we know
- Official · Spanish authorities Spanish authorities said all 69 victims of the 28 October Toledo-area train crash have now been formally identified: 54 Spanish nationals and 15 foreigners, Sud Ouest reported.
- 1 outlet · ABC Opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo urged unions to cancel the 11 November general strike, calling it a serious mistake after the deaths.
- Official · Spanish government Government spokeswoman Elma Saiz defended the right to strike and said victims' grief should not be used politically, EFE reported.
- Official · Renfe The Renfe train struck a stopped Iryo train after a signalling failure; why the control centre let it resume remains unclear.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Why it matters for Europe
The crash has become a point of political contention weeks before Spain's 29 November parliamentary election, with Feijoo linking the disaster to what he called a long, quietly advancing decline in how the country is governed. The government has resisted pressure to call off the scheduled strike despite the scale of the Toledo-area disaster, which was Spain's second fatal high-speed rail crash this year.
Sources
Reported by 3 reports from 3 independent outlets in 2 countries.
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Questions and answers
- How many people died in the Toledo-area crash?
- All 69 victims, 54 Spanish nationals and 15 foreign nationals, have now been formally identified, Spanish authorities said.
- Why has the crash become politically contentious?
- Opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo urged unions to call off a planned 11 November general strike, calling it inappropriate after the deaths.
- Has the government responded?
- Government spokeswoman Elma Saiz said the right to strike is fundamental and urged against politicising victims' grief.
This article was written with AI assistance from 3 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.