A fracture in a straight section of track 'occurred prior to the passage' of a high-speed train that derailed, causing last Sunday's rail disaster in which 45 people died, an initial report has found. A train run by private company Iryo derailed last Sunday and its rear carriages crossed onto the opposite track into the path of an oncoming train run by state-owned Renfe. The CIAF rail investigation commission reported that not only did Iryo train's front carriages, which stayed on the track, have 'notches' in their wheels, but three earlier trains also passed over the track with similar damages. A gap of almost 40cm (15in) in the track has become the focus of the investigation into the crash.
The deadly collision occurred around 19:45 local time (18:45 GMT), about an hour after the Iryo train left Málaga for Madrid. The train's last three carriages - carriages six to eight - derailed and collided with the Huelva-bound Renfe train. Carriage six derailed due to a complete lack of continuity in the track, the preliminary report concludes. Most of those killed and injured were in the front carriages of the state-operated train.
The Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente confirmed findings of grooves on the wheels of Iryo train's carriages that had travelled safely over the track prior to the derailment. The report emphasizes that these notches in the wheels and the observed track deformation suggest the track was indeed cracked. The CIAF classified its report as a 'working hypothesis', indicating that further detailed calculations and analyses are necessary. The tragedy marks Spain's worst rail crash in over a decade, recalling the 2013 Galicia derailment which left 80 dead.
The deadly collision occurred around 19:45 local time (18:45 GMT), about an hour after the Iryo train left Málaga for Madrid. The train's last three carriages - carriages six to eight - derailed and collided with the Huelva-bound Renfe train. Carriage six derailed due to a complete lack of continuity in the track, the preliminary report concludes. Most of those killed and injured were in the front carriages of the state-operated train.
The Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente confirmed findings of grooves on the wheels of Iryo train's carriages that had travelled safely over the track prior to the derailment. The report emphasizes that these notches in the wheels and the observed track deformation suggest the track was indeed cracked. The CIAF classified its report as a 'working hypothesis', indicating that further detailed calculations and analyses are necessary. The tragedy marks Spain's worst rail crash in over a decade, recalling the 2013 Galicia derailment which left 80 dead.
