Spanish track was fractured before high-speed train disaster, report finds
BBC • • general
Key Points:
- An initial investigation into last Sunday's deadly train derailment in Spain found a fracture in a straight section of track occurred before the high-speed Iryo train passed, causing the accident that killed 45 people.
- The derailment caused the last three carriages of the Iryo train to cross onto the opposite track and collide with an oncoming Renfe train, with most casualties in the state-operated train's front carriages.
- The CIAF rail investigation commission identified notches on the wheels of the Iryo train and three earlier trains that passed over the same track, indicating the track was cracked and had a gap of nearly 40cm.
- The report suggests the fracture likely developed shortly before the derailment and was
