Spanish Train Crash Linked to 40cm of rail Track missing Report

Deadly Spanish Train Crash Linked to 40cm Gap in Track, Early Report Says

A fracture in a straight section of railway track occurred before a high-speed train derailed in southern Spain last Sunday, triggering a fatal collision that killed 45 people, according to an initial official investigation.

Spain’s rail accident investigation body, the CIAF, said a gap of almost 40 centimetres (15in) had already opened in the track prior to the passage of an Iryo high-speed service travelling from Málaga to Madrid.

The privately operated Iryo train derailed when its rear carriages left the track and crossed into the path of an oncoming Renfe service, operated by the state rail company. The collision occurred near Adamuz at around 19:45 local time, roughly an hour after the Iryo train departed.

The CIAF said carriages six to eight of the Iryo train derailed, with carriage six losing contact with the rails due to a “complete lack of continuity” in the track. Most of the victims were travelling in the front carriages of the oncoming Renfe train.

Investigators found distinct notches on the wheels of the Iryo train’s front carriages, which had remained on the track, as well as on three other trains that passed over the same section earlier that evening. These trains crossed the site at 17:21, 19:01 and 19:09, all showing similar wheel damage.

The report said the grooves on the wheels and deformation in the rail were “compatible” with a pre-existing crack. Carriage five of the Iryo train — the last not to derail — showed wheel damage consistent with the rail already tilting outward moments before the crash.

Transport Minister Óscar Puente said it was too early to draw final conclusions but confirmed that, if the fracture was the cause, it likely formed shortly before the derailment and would not have been detectable in time.

The CIAF stressed its findings remain a “working hypothesis” pending further technical analysis.

The Adamuz crash is Spain’s deadliest rail disaster in more than a decade, recalling the 2013 Galicia derailment that killed 80 people.

Key Takeaways

• Investigators say the track fracture formed before the train derailed.

• Wheel damage on multiple trains suggests the fault developed hours earlier.

• Officials caution conclusions are preliminary as forensic analysis continues.

Source: BBC