Investigators say a deadly train crash in southern Spain that killed 45 people may have happened because a train passed over a broken rail. The accident took place near Adamuz on Sunday. A high-speed Iryo train derailed and collided with a high-speed Renfe train coming the opposite way. A report by the Rail Accidents Investigation Commission (CIAF) found damage on the wheels of the Iryo train’s front carriages that matched hitting a fractured rail. The report said, “These nicks in the wheels and the observed deformation in the rail are consistent with the rail being fractured.” It explained that the broken rail caused a momentary step that struck the wheels, leading to the derailment. The CIAF added, “We can hypothesise that the rail fracture occurred prior to the passage of the Iryo train involved in the accident and therefore prior to the derailment.” However, the report also said this was a preliminary theory and more tests will follow. Just two days after the Adamuz crash, another derailment happened near Gelida in Catalonia. There, a train driver died and 37 passengers were hurt when a retaining wall collapsed. In response to these tragedies, Semaf, Spain’s largest train drivers’ union, announced a three-day strike in February. The union said that industrial action is “the only legal avenue left for workers to demand the restoration of safety standards on the railway system.” Their goal is to protect railworkers and passengers across Spain. The accidents have sparked criticism of the socialist-led government. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the conservative People’s Party, said, “The state of the railways is a reflection of the state of the nation.” He added, “Right now, we don’t have the best rail system in our history; what we have is the worst government in our history.”