A preliminary investigation report into the train accident in Spain revealed that a crack in a straight segment of the tracks occurred before the high-speed train passed, causing the severe accident last Sunday, which left 45 people dead, BBC reports.
The train, operated by the private company Iryo, derailed while the last three carriages crossed onto the opposite track and collided with an oncoming train operated by the state company Renfe.
The Railway Investigation Commission (CIAF) reported that not only did the front carriages of the Iryo train, which remained on the tracks, show scratches on their wheels, but three other trains that had previously passed over the same segment displayed similar signs.
A gap of approximately 40 centimeters in the rail has been identified as the main focus of the investigation into the accident’s cause.
The fatal collision occurred about an hour after the Iryo train departed from Malaga toward Madrid. The last three carriages derailed and collided with the Renfe train traveling toward Huelva.
According to the report,
“The sixth carriage derailed due to a complete lack of continuity in the rail.”
Most of the victims and injured were in the front carriages of the state-operated train.
