Copper cable theft in Spain delays thousands of high-speed rail passengers

Travellers wait for news about their delayed trains in Madrid (Manu Fernandez/AP)

Thousands of rail passengers in Spain have faced delays after copper cables used in the signalling system of a high-speed line travelling south from Madrid to Seville were stolen at five locations, authorities said.

The theft, which happened late Sunday, affected dozens of trains travelling between Madrid and the southern Andalusian cities of Seville, Malaga and Granada as many people were returning home to Spain’s capital after a holiday weekend.