Details of the tragedy that claimed the lives of around 40 people in Spain have emerged. A crack measuring more than 30 centimetres in the right-hand track, at kilometre 318.7 of the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed line, has become the main focus of preliminary investigations into the serious rail accident that occurred on Sunday in the Adamuth area of ​​Córdoba. The accident involved a train belonging to the private company Iryo, which was travelling towards Madrid, and a Renfe Alvia train, which was travelling in the opposite direction. The tragic death toll has now reached 40, making this the worst rail accident in Spain in recent years.

According to the investigation, although the head-on collision was the direct cause of the high number of victims, authorities are focusing on the reasons that led to the derailment of the Iryo train, which then led to the fatal collision. Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente described the incident as “strange”, emphasizing that it was not a typical railway accident. On Sunday afternoon, carriages 6, 7 and 8 of the Iryo Frecciarossa 1000 train derailed while the train was traveling at over 200 km/h on a straight section of the line in Adamo. The last carriages crossed onto the opposite track and collided with the Renfe Alvia train, which had departed from Atocha station at 18:05, at a speed of about 205 km/h.

The driver of the Alvia train had only 20 seconds to react, making the collision inevitable. The Alvia locomotive and the first carriages ended up on a nearby slope, while the Iryo train came to a halt at kilometer 317.6, with several carriages overturned and the tracks between the two trains completely destroyed. During preliminary examinations, investigators found a broken rail and damaged sleepers at a specific point on the line. According to technical assessments, the crack over 30 centimeters could have been caused by faulty welding or by a defect that has worsened over time due to heavy train traffic and weather conditions. Sources close to the investigation describe this as a “particularly likely cause of the derailment.”

Meanwhile, Adif, the rail infrastructure manager, has launched ultrasonic checks to determine whether the defect was pre-existing or caused by the derailment. The question of whether the crack was the cause or consequence of the accident is crucial for determining the criminal and civil liabilities of both the infrastructure manager and the train operator. Iryo president Carlos Bertomeu described the event as an “unusual accident”, stressing that the train was moving in a straight line, at a speed within the design parameters. He added that the Frecciarossa 1000 is a state-of-the-art train, less than three years old, with regular maintenance and a last inspection carried out on 15 June at the Santa Catalina workshop in Madrid.

Investigations by the Railway Accident Investigation Committee (CIAF) are continuing, with the participation of representatives of Renfe, Iryo, Adif and train manufacturers, while authorities and public opinion await answers to one of the worst railway tragedies in the country's recent history.

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