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Spain probes copper theft that disrupts high-speed train services
Spanish authorities have launched an investigation following a series of thefts of copper cables that halted high-speed train services from Madrid to the south, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. The incidents unfolded on a busy travel day as many returned home after a long weekend in Madrid, coinciding with the onset of a week-long annual fair in Seville, a major tourist destination.
This disruption occurred just a week after a blackout in Spain and neighboring Portugal that similarly affected the high-speed rail network, which ranks as the second longest in the world, trailing only China's. The precise cause of the recent outage remains unclear.
According to the transport ministry, the cable theft occurred on Sunday in the central province of Toledo, targeting five locations within a short distance along the high-speed line connecting Madrid and Seville. The theft severely impacted travel to key cities including Seville, Malaga, Valencia, and Granada, affecting over 10,000 passengers and at least 30 trains.
Fortunately, services began to return to normal on Monday. Transport Minister Óscar Puente characterized the cable theft as a "serious act of sabotage," emphasizing the coordinated nature of the operation. "Whoever did it knew what they were going for," he remarked.
The Civil Guard, Spain's national police force, has initiated a probe into the copper theft, aiming to ascertain the details of the incident and identify those responsible. This surge in copper thefts has been attributed to rising metal prices, which have spurred similar criminal activities within train and telecommunications networks globally.
Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of Spain's main opposition party, expressed concern over the situation, highlighting the distressing images of "thousands of Spaniards trapped on trains" without access to water, which he deemed "unbecoming of the fourth largest economy in the eurozone."