Spain train crash latest: Broken rail track identified as possible cause of collision which killed 40 – UK Times

At least 40 people have died and 12 are in intensive care unit after Sunday night’s train crash in Spain, making it one of the worst railway accidents in Europe in 80 years.

Twelve remain in intensive care after the accident near Adamuz in the province of Cordoba, about 360km south of Madrid, according to emergency services.

A total of 43 missing-person reports have been filed so far at police headquarters in Huelva, Madrid, Málaga, Córdoba, and Seville, officials said.

Graham Keeley reports from Madrid:

Alvaro Gallardo, like many other desperate relatives, took to social media, to try to reach his father – or anyone else who might know his fate.

He posted on X: “We’ve been trying to contact my father since 9 PM; his name is Andrés Gallardo Vaz, he was on the train heading to Huelva. I beg you, if you see him or know anything about him, please let us know.”

Gallardo was still trying to reach him when The Independent spoke to him on Monday.

“We have been going around the hospitals but without any luck. My father was travelling back to Huelva last night. My father is my life,” he said, breaking down.

Victims of a high speed train crash in Spain have described the harrowing scenes they endured after the wreck that killed at least 40 people, one of the worst railway accidents in Europe in 80 years.

Spain’s high-speed railway network, with 3,622 km of tracks, is the largest in Europe and the second-biggest in the world after China, according to state-owned rail infrastructure administrator ADIF.

ADIF has previously reported problems with infrastructure at Adamuz, from signalling failures to issues with overhead power lines, that caused delays to high-speed trains between Madrid and Andalusia 10 times since 2022.

The government was criticised last year for a series of delays on the network, caused by power outages and the theft of copper cables from the lines. The network is vulnerable to cable thefts as it crosses large swathes of empty countryside.

Spain opened up its high-speed rail network to private competition in 2020 in a bid to offer low-cost alternatives to Renfe’s AVE trains.

Transport Minister Oscar Puente said that the Iryo – which derailed – was less than four years old and that the railway track had been completely renovated last May with an investment of 700 million euros ($813.5 million). Iryo said the train was last inspected on January 15.

Iryo is a joint venture between Italian state railway operator Ferrovie dello Stato, airline Air Nostrum and Spanish infrastructure investment fund Globalvia.

It began operating in November 2022, starting with the Madrid-Barcelona route and expanding to other major cities.

The high-speed rail line connecting Madrid with Andalusia will not be restored until Friday 2 February, the transport minister Oscar Puente has said according to Spanish newspaper El Pais.

While work is ongoing to restore normal service in the area, rail operator Renfe has launched an alternative transport plan.

Andalusia’s president, Juan Manuel Moreno, described the incident as “extremely strange” during a visit to the scene in Puente on Sunday, according to El Pais.

Speaking before initial investigations showed a broken joint on the rails caused the crash, Mr Moreno said that the accident was unusual given that it occurred on a straight section of track that had been renovated in May.

He expressed confidence that an investigation would clarify the causes.

Experts studying the crash site found a broken joint on the rails, which created a gap between the rail sections that widened as trains continued to travel on the track, according to a source briefed on initial investigations.

That faulty joint could prove important in identifying the cause of the accident, the source said.

Ignacio Barron, head of Spain’s Commission of Investigation of Rail Accidents (CIAF), said on RTVE: “What always plays a part in a derailment is the interaction between the track and the vehicle, and that is what the commission is currently (looking into).”

The Iryo train was travelling at 110 kph from Malaga to Madrid when it derailed, Renfe President Álvaro Fernandez Heredia said on radio station Cadena Ser.

Twenty seconds later, the second train, heading to Huelva at 200 kph, either collided with the final two carriages of the Iryo train or with debris on the line, he said. The Iryo train lost a wheel that has not yet been located.

The death toll following a high-speed collision between two trains has been increased to 40, marking one of the worst railway accidents Europe has seen in 80 years.

Twelve were in intensive care after the accident near Adamuz in the province of Cordoba, about 360 km (223 miles) south of Madrid, according to emergency services.

A total of 43 reports of missing persons have been filed so far at police headquarters in Huelva, Madrid, Málaga, Córdoba and Seville, officials said.

The Andalusia region’s president Juan Manuel Moreno said emergency crews faced difficulties bringing in the heavy equipment needed to lift the wreckage and reach those still lying beneath it.

Experts say a faulty rail joint might be key to determining the cause of the crash.

A source told Reuters today that an inspection last week of the Iryo train that derailed found no anomalies.

A source also said that technicians are investigating damage to a joint on the track, which they believe is key to understanding the cause of the accident.

The joint damage had likely been around for some time, the source indicated, citing the technical inspection.