Spain’s rail network reeled from a fourth accident in less than a week as authorities recovered two more bodies from the wreckage of last weekend’s high-speed train collision in Andalusia, raising the death toll to 45. The discovery comes hours after a commuter train struck a crane arm near the port city of Cartagena in the southeastern Murcia region, lightly injuring six, officials said.
An Andalusia emergency services spokesman said the bodies were retrieved from a Renfe-operated train that crashed into a derailed Iryo service that had crossed onto its track near Adamuz. The collision last weekend also injured more than 120 people and has triggered urgent questions about safety on the world’s second-largest high-speed rail network in the European Union’s fourth-largest economy.
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Of the 45 people confirmed dead, all are Spanish except for three women from Morocco, Russia and Germany, according to the body coordinating victim identification. Investigators are still piecing together how the crash unfolded. Transport Minister Oscar Puente has called it “extremely strange,” noting it occurred on a recently renovated, straight and flat stretch of track and involved a modern Iryo train.
The string of incidents is deepening scrutiny of Spain’s rail safety. On Tuesday, a commuter train in Catalonia’s Rodalies network slammed into a retaining wall that had fallen onto the tracks near Barcelona, killing the driver and injuring 37. Authorities believe recent heavy rainfall triggered the collapse. The accident prompted the suspension of most Rodalies services while safety checks were carried out, snarling commutes in one of the country’s wealthiest and busiest regions.
Services were expected to resume Thursday but many remained halted after train drivers failed to report to work. Diego Martin Fernandez, secretary general of the Semaf drivers union, told RAC1 radio that while a thorough review of infrastructure had been agreed, “the procedure had not been respected.” He added: “To restore confidence that the infrastructure meets safety conditions, we need guarantees,” citing fresh landslips on several lines.
Semaf has called a national strike for February 9-11, denouncing repeated safety failings. Puente vowed to negotiate to avert the walkout and insisted the Catalonia crash and the Adamuz high-speed disaster were unrelated. He defended the public transport system even as pressure mounts from passengers and regional officials for rapid, transparent fixes to infrastructure vulnerabilities exposed by extreme weather and the back-to-back accidents.
The crane strike in Cartagena on Thursday underscored the sense of fragility. Authorities said the arm swung into the path of a passing commuter train, shattering windows and injuring six. All suffered minor injuries, according to emergency services. The incident, though far less severe than the Adamuz collision or the Barcelona-area crash, compounded public unease and added to the burden on investigators already racing to deliver answers.
Spain’s rail system is a critical artery for tourism and commerce. The country markets its high-speed network as a global showcase, where Renfe now competes with private operators such as Iryo on marquee routes. The recent accidents have shifted the conversation from speed and connectivity to maintenance protocols, contractor oversight and resilience in the face of more frequent extreme weather.
The human toll remains stark. In Adamuz, mourners gathered for David Cordon, a former international beach football player among those killed in the high-speed collision, as families confronted a loss that has reverberated far beyond the rail corridors. Authorities said identification efforts continue, while technical teams scrutinize signaling data, track conditions and train equipment from both Renfe and Iryo.
As Spain seeks to restore confidence, the priorities are clear: complete the recovery and identification of victims, demonstrate rigorous inspections across the Rodalies network and beyond, and explain how a modern system on a recently refurbished stretch of track ended in catastrophe. Until those answers arrive, the nation’s showpiece railways face their most searching test in years.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
