Spain train disaster probe suggests track was cracked
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The deadly collision in Adamuz, Cordoba province, killed 45 people in one of Europe’s worst train accidents.
PHOTO: EPA
- Spanish investigators (CIAF) report a rail fracture likely preceded the high-speed train derailment in Adamuz, killing 45.
- Notches on Iryo train wheels match damage on the broken rail, suggesting wheels struck the rail top during derailment.
- Similar wheel damage found on other trains before the crash, but the cause of the rail breakage remains undetermined.
AI generated
MADRID - A fracture in the rail appeared to have occurred before a high-speed train derailed in southern Spain Jan 18, rail accident investigating body CIAF said in a preliminary report published on Jan 23.
The deadly collision
“Based on the information available at this time, it can be hypothesised that the rail fracture occurred prior to the passage of the Iryo train involved in the accident and, therefore, prior to the derailment,” read the CIAF report, posted on the body’s website.
CIAF said the causes for the breakage had yet to be established and nothing had been ruled out.
Reuters wrote on Jan 20 that investigators had identified a broken joint on the rail track in an exclusive report.
The Transport Ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Iryo’s majority owner, Italian state-controlled railway group Ferrovie dello Stato, declined to comment on the report.
Investigators found uniform notches on several of the wheel treads on the right-hand side of the Iryo train, according to the report.
The marks were consistent with the wheels striking the top of a rail, and a visual comparison suggested the wheel notches match damage seen on the broken rail section at the derailment site, it added.
CIAF said it had also found similar wheel damage on other trains that passed through the area before the crash.
The report’s findings must be confirmed by further calculations and detailed analysis, CIAF cautioned. REUTERS
