Two trains collided near the city of Adamuz, Spain Sunday 18th January. A high-speed train travelling from Malaga to Madrid derailed at 7:45pm local time, resulting in the death of a reported 42 individuals, as well as 152 injured passengers. The Spanish government described the incident as “extremely strange”.
The derailed train collided with a second train causing the derailment of the first and second carriage. The train had derailed along a straight portion of the track, causing suspicion around the cause of the incident. Álvaro Fernández Heredia, a highly influential member in the transportation sector, has stated that the incident was a result of “sabotage”, and not the fault of the train’s driver.
The train travelling to Madrid derailed at the sixth carriage, which knocked the first three carriages of the adjacent train off of the tracks and down a slope. This is where most of the fatalities occurred. One fatality was the driver of the train, who was only 27 years old. Further fatalities included four members of the Zamorano-Alaves family; the husband, wife, son and nephew. Their 6-year-old daughter survived the crash and has since been placed in the care of her grandmother.
High speed trains were introduced to Spain in the 1990s, marking a new era of modernisation for the nation. This advancement was funded by the European Union and has since become a highly used service across Spain. This popularity is evident by the number of passengers on both trains involved in this accident, with an estimation of 300 passengers across the two trains. Despite its popularity, there have been some complaints regarding the safety of this transportation, particularly across the stretch of track which saw this crash occur.
One example of such danger comes through a video taken by a mother who was traveling with her child along such tracks. The video shows the carriage shaking significantly. The passenger who took the video posted it in 2023, saying how she felt unsafe when traveling and mentioned that she was worried about her child’s welfare during travel.
The cause of this crash is still under investigation, however, has been heavily conspired by the Spanish public. Outraged by the amount of damage this crash caused, many are desperate for a reason for such losses. The track at the site of the crash is reportedly damaged, and this is believed to be the reason for the derailment. This claim has been discredited by the Spanish government, who have insisted the damage to the track was a result of the derailing and not the cause.
The incident continues to cause pain within Spanish society, as many of the passengers’ bodies were difficult to recover from the wreckage, and many remained within the train days after the crash occurred. Officials released the estimations of 42 deaths, including in their statement that this number may change as more bodies are recovered.
