Spanish rail operator was warned of ‘severe wear and tear’ on tracks before horror crash killed at least 39
Warning over ‘severe wear and tear’ on train tracks involved in fatal crash
- A horrific train collision near Cordoba, Spain, on Sunday resulted in at least 39 fatalities and over 120 injuries.
- Spanish rail operator ADIF had been warned last year by the SEMAF train driver’s union about "severe wear and tear" on high-speed tracks, including the section where the accident occurred.
- Initial investigations revealed a broken joint, or fishplate, on the rails, which experts believe was faulty for some time and contributed to the derailment.
- The incident involved an Iryo high-speed train derailing and subsequently colliding with an oncoming Alvia train, which was then pushed into an embankment.
- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has pledged a "thorough and absolutely transparent" investigation into the crash, which Transport Minister Óscar Puente described as "tremendously strange".