An inquiry into a tragic train incident that claimed the lives of 45 individuals revealed the presence of track cracks. The initial findings by the Railway Accident Investigation Commission (CIAF) indicated the existence of “nicks” on the wheels and “deformations” on the tracks in Cordoba, a city in southern Spain, where the collision occurred. The report suggested that these observations are indicative of a fractured track.
Additionally, over 150 individuals sustained injuries during the collision involving two trains traveling at approximately 130mph in Adamuz. Samples of the railway will undergo laboratory analysis to identify potential causes of the track fracture, with the accident commission keeping all possibilities open.
The accident occurred around 7.45pm on a Sunday when the rear portion of a train carrying 289 passengers en route from Malaga to Madrid derailed and collided with an oncoming train traveling from Madrid to Huelva. The impact primarily affected the front of the second train, causing the first two carriages to derail and plunge down a four-meter slope. Some victims were discovered several hundred meters away from the crash scene, according to Andalusia regional President Juanma Moreno.
Visual evidence displayed the detached first two cars of the second train beside the tracks, with train seats strewn on the rocks below. Civil Guard officers inspected the first train’s interior with dogs further down the tracks, as passengers’ belongings were scattered inside. Mr. Moreno conveyed deep sorrow over the incident, emphasizing the significant loss experienced by the province of Huelva.
Tragically, just two days following the Cordoba tragedy, a Barcelona commuter train accident occurred when a retaining wall collapsed onto the tracks, resulting in one fatality and 37 injuries as reported by Spanish regional authorities.