{"id":5315,"date":"2026-01-20T12:40:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T12:40:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/spain-train-crash-continues-as-investigators-probe-gap-in-rail\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T12:40:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T12:40:14","slug":"spain-train-crash-continues-as-investigators-probe-gap-in-rail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/spain-train-crash-continues-as-investigators-probe-gap-in-rail\/","title":{"rendered":"Spain train crash continues as investigators probe &#8216;gap&#8217; in rail"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" id=\"\">\n<p><figcaption class=\"sc-536eff7b-0 gnQokQ\">Watch: At the scene of Spain&#8217;s worst rail disaster in over a decade<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Heavy machinery is being used to assist in the recovery following a two-train crash in southern Spain which killed at least 41 people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Rescuers worked through a second night as more bodies are feared to be trapped in the wreckage.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">More than 120 people were injured when carriages on a Madrid-bound train derailed and crossed over to the opposite tracks, hitting an oncoming train in Adamuz on Sunday evening.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">A faulty or damaged weld on a rail is being investigated as a factor in the crash, Spanish media report.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has cancelled his planned trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos,  pledging to get to the bottom of Spain&#8217;s worst train disaster in more than a decade.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Spain&#8217;s King Felipe and Queen Letizia will visit the site later on Tuesday. <\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Three days of national mourning have been announced.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 GunZh\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-5340b511-1 cMIbKV\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.files.bbci.co.uk\/bbcdotcom\/web\/20260113-125315-2e65791d43-web-2.37.1-4\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 gUePlo hide-when-no-script\" aria-label=\"image unavailable\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/d93a\/live\/1adf8bb0-f5e1-11f0-b5f7-49f0357294ff.png.webp 240w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/d93a\/live\/1adf8bb0-f5e1-11f0-b5f7-49f0357294ff.png.webp 320w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/d93a\/live\/1adf8bb0-f5e1-11f0-b5f7-49f0357294ff.png.webp 480w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/640\/cpsprodpb\/d93a\/live\/1adf8bb0-f5e1-11f0-b5f7-49f0357294ff.png.webp 640w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/d93a\/live\/1adf8bb0-f5e1-11f0-b5f7-49f0357294ff.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/cpsprodpb\/d93a\/live\/1adf8bb0-f5e1-11f0-b5f7-49f0357294ff.png.webp 1024w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1536\/cpsprodpb\/d93a\/live\/1adf8bb0-f5e1-11f0-b5f7-49f0357294ff.png.webp 1536w\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/d93a\/live\/1adf8bb0-f5e1-11f0-b5f7-49f0357294ff.png.webp\" loading=\"eager\" alt=\"A satellite-style map of southern Spain showing the location of a train collision near Adamuz. Two labelled train routes are marked: the Renfe 2384 train travelling south from Madrid to Huelva (yellow arrow) and the Iryo 6189 train travelling north from M\u00e1laga to Madrid (green arrow). A red marker indicates the collision point at 19:45 local time (18:45 GMT). A small inset map of Spain highlights the region. Source: Spanish transport ministry.\" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Transport Minister \u00d3scar Puente said the death toll &#8220;is not yet final&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Officials are working to identify the dead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Puente said the investigation could take at least a month, describing the incident as &#8220;extremely strange&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Spanish media report that a 30cm gap in one of the rails is the current focus of the investigation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Technicians told the El Mundo newspaper that a &#8220;bad&#8221; or &#8220;deteriorated&#8221; weld was &#8220;more than likely&#8221; the cause for the derailment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Ignacio Barron, head of Spain&#8217;s Commission of Investigation of Rail Accidents (CIAF), said on RTVE: &#8220;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].&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">However, Spain&#8217;s El Pa\u00eds newspaper reports that it was not clear whether the fault was a cause or a result of the crash.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">On Monday, Renfe President \u00c1lvaro Fern\u00e1ndez Heredia apparently ruled out &#8220;human error&#8221;, telling RNE programme Las Ma\u00f1anas that, if  &#8220;the driver makes a mistake, the system itself corrects it&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Heredia also told RNE that both trains were travelling under the maximum speed limit on the stretch of track where the crash happened.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">As the investigation into the crash continues, Spanish media reported that train drivers warned about the state of the Madrid-Andalusia line in August and requested a speed limit of under 250kph.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">In a letter to the state-owned rail infrastructure administrator, Adif, the drivers union reportedly said the increase in the number and weight of high-speed trains was causing a greater number of failures.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 GunZh\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-5340b511-1 cMIbKV\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.files.bbci.co.uk\/bbcdotcom\/web\/20260113-125315-2e65791d43-web-2.37.1-4\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 gUePlo hide-when-no-script\" aria-label=\"image unavailable\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/b5b3\/live\/ad3841b0-f5e0-11f0-b385-5f48925de19a.png.webp 240w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/b5b3\/live\/ad3841b0-f5e0-11f0-b385-5f48925de19a.png.webp 320w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/b5b3\/live\/ad3841b0-f5e0-11f0-b385-5f48925de19a.png.webp 480w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/640\/cpsprodpb\/b5b3\/live\/ad3841b0-f5e0-11f0-b385-5f48925de19a.png.webp 640w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/b5b3\/live\/ad3841b0-f5e0-11f0-b385-5f48925de19a.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/cpsprodpb\/b5b3\/live\/ad3841b0-f5e0-11f0-b385-5f48925de19a.png.webp 1024w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1536\/cpsprodpb\/b5b3\/live\/ad3841b0-f5e0-11f0-b385-5f48925de19a.png.webp 1536w\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/b5b3\/live\/ad3841b0-f5e0-11f0-b385-5f48925de19a.png.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Graphic showing how the train crash happened in Spain in three stages. The image shows the Renfe train is four carriages long and the Irya train is eight carriages long. Text says that at 18:05 local time (19:05 GMT), Renfe\u2019s Alvia 2384 train (shown in blue) leaves Atocha station in Madrid, carrying 184 passengers in four carriages to Huelva, in Andaluc\u00eda. At 18:40, Iryo 6189 to Madrid (shown in red) leaves M\u00e1laga with 294 people on board eight carriages. At 19:45, carriages 6, 7 and 8 of the Iryo train leave the tracks close to set of points near Admuz, C\u00f3rdoba. Within 20 seconds, the oncoming Alvia collides with the derailed carriages. The Alvia train's front carriages leave the track, falling into an embankment.\" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Four hundred passengers and staff were on board the two trains, the rail authorities said. Emergency services treated 122 people, with 41, including children, still in hospital. Of those, 12 are in intensive care.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Most of those killed and injured were in the front carriages of the Huelva-bound train, officials said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 GunZh\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-5340b511-1 cMIbKV\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.files.bbci.co.uk\/bbcdotcom\/web\/20260113-125315-2e65791d43-web-2.37.1-4\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 gUePlo hide-when-no-script\" aria-label=\"image unavailable\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/b72b\/live\/384443d0-f5e1-11f0-a422-4ba8a094a8fa.png.webp 240w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/b72b\/live\/384443d0-f5e1-11f0-a422-4ba8a094a8fa.png.webp 320w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/b72b\/live\/384443d0-f5e1-11f0-a422-4ba8a094a8fa.png.webp 480w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/640\/cpsprodpb\/b72b\/live\/384443d0-f5e1-11f0-a422-4ba8a094a8fa.png.webp 640w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/b72b\/live\/384443d0-f5e1-11f0-a422-4ba8a094a8fa.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/cpsprodpb\/b72b\/live\/384443d0-f5e1-11f0-a422-4ba8a094a8fa.png.webp 1024w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1536\/cpsprodpb\/b72b\/live\/384443d0-f5e1-11f0-a422-4ba8a094a8fa.png.webp 1536w\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/b72b\/live\/384443d0-f5e1-11f0-a422-4ba8a094a8fa.png.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A composite graphic showing the scene of a train collision in Spain. The main background is an aerial image with two highlighted locations: one labelled \u201cM\u00e1laga to Madrid\u201d showing derailed train carriages, and another labelled \u201cMadrid to Huelva\u201d showing another derailed train. At the top right, an inset photo shows emergency workers around red Iryo train carriages that have derailed, labelled \u201cIryo train\u2019s rear carriages derailed.\u201d At the bottom right, another inset shows damaged Renfe train carriages lying off the tracks after the collision, labelled \u201cRenfe train left track after collision.\u201d&#10;\" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Salvador Jimenez, a journalist with RTVE who was on one of the trains, said the impact felt like an &#8220;earthquake&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">&#8220;I was in the first carriage. There was a moment when it felt like an earthquake and the train had indeed derailed,&#8221; Jimenez said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Footage from the scene appears to show some train carriages had tipped over on their sides. Rescue workers can be seen scaling the train to pull people out of the lopsided train doors and windows.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">A Madrid-bound passenger, Jos\u00e9, told public broadcaster Canal Sur: &#8220;There were people and screaming, calling for doctors.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"sc-536eff7b-0 gnQokQ\">Watch: Footage inside Spanish train as passengers evacuate from crash<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Rail network operator Adif said the collision happened at 19:45 local time (18:45 GMT) on Sunday, about an hour after one of the trains left M\u00e1laga heading north to Madrid, when it derailed on a straight stretch of track near the city of C\u00f3rdoba.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">The force of the crash pushed the carriages of the second train into an embankment, according to the transport minister.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">All high-speed services between Madrid and the southern cities of Malaga, Cordoba, Sevilla and Huelva have been suspended until Friday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a ><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Watch: At the scene of Spain&#8217;s worst rail disaster in over a decade Heavy machinery is being used to assist in the recovery following a two-train crash in southern Spain which killed at least 41 people. Rescuers worked through a second night as more bodies are feared to be trapped in the wreckage. More than [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5316,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_daextam_enable_autolinks":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/6fdabe70-f5f3-11f0-b385-5f48925de19a.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5315"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5315\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}