TL:DR – “Spain’s Fourth Train Crash in Days: Crane Collision Disrupts Rail Service”
- Spain faces multiple train accidents, including a commuter train crash into a crane in Cartagena.
- Recent tragedies in Adamuz and Barcelona resulted in significant fatalities and injuries.
- Adif halts services due to crane interference; emergency services treat several individuals.
- Investigations into the Adamuz high-speed train crash highlight potential infrastructure failures.
- The tragic story of a lone survivor highlights the human cost of these incidents.
- Ongoing inquiries aim to uncover the causes behind these fatal train collisions in Spain.
Spain suffers fourth train crash in days after crane is hit on tracks | News World
Spain’s Recent Train Crashes: A National Tragedy
Spain has been rocked by another train crash within a week, following the deadly collisions in Adamuz and Barcelona, along with a minor incident.
In the latest event, a commuter train crashed into a crane in southeastern Spain today. The Spanish rail operator Adif raised the alarm, stating that services have been ground to a halt due to “the intrusion into the infrastructure gauge by a crane not belonging to the railway operation,” although further details were not disclosed. Emergency services reportedly treated one person for minor cuts and three for anxiety, according to RTVE.
A Series of Train Collisions
Spain is reeling after a spate of fatal train collisions this week. In Adamuz, 41 people were killed and 123 injured when two trains collided on Sunday. On Tuesday, a train driver was killed and dozens were injured near Barcelona when a wall collapsed onto the tracks, thought to have been caused by heavy rain. A third incident, also in the Barcelona region on Tuesday, saw a train derail after a rock fell on the tracks due to the storm, although no injuries were reported.
The first tragedy struck on Sunday, when two high-speed trains collided and derailed, with victims reportedly thrown for hundreds of meters. On Tuesday, another train driver died and 37 people were injured when a commuter service derailed after hitting a fallen retainer wall. Among the survivors of the Adamuz crash was a six-year-old girl, the sole survivor of her family, who was traveling home after attending a musical.
What Caused the High-Speed Train Crash in Adamuz?
Gareth Dennis, a railway engineer and writer, stated that everyone is on “heightened alert” after these high-profile incidents. However, he noted that there is “no meaningful connection” between the crashes.
He explained that the incident in Barcelona was due to infrastructure failure, while the latest crash involved a crane obstructing the train. “This one is a crane somehow finding its way in front of the train, and they are unrelated to Adamuz, which is likely to have been a rail break,” he said.
Dennis emphasized the importance of investigating what caused the potential rail break and why such a failure was allowed to occur. “Only an investigation can answer that,” he stated.
The official investigation in Adamuz is ongoing as teams sift through the wreckage to locate any remaining victims. Oscar Puente, the Minister for Transport, indicated yesterday that there is an “undeniable possibility” that the marks found on the wheels were due to a track defect.