A fracture in a straight section of track occurred prior to the passage of a high-speed train that derailed, causing last Sunday's rail disaster in which 45 people died, an initial report has found.
A train run by private company Iryo derailed last Sunday and its rear carriages crossed on to the opposite track into the path of an oncoming train run by state-owned Renfe.
The CIAF rail investigation commission reported that not only did the Iryo train's front carriages that remained on the track display notches in their wheels, but three earlier trains that had crossed over the track did as well.
A 40cm (15in) gap in the track has become the focal point of the investigation into the crash.
The deadly collision at approximately 19:45 local time (18:45 GMT) occurred shortly after the Iryo train departed from Málaga towards Madrid.
The last three carriages of the train derailed and collided with the Renfe train heading to Huelva. The preliminary report states, Carriage six derailed due to a complete lack of continuity in the track. Most casualties were among passengers in the front carriages of the state-operated train.
Officials, including Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente, confirmed that grooves were discovered on the wheels of the Iryo train's carriages prior to the accident.
The report suggests that deformations observed in the track align with the findings of cracked infrastructure. It emphasized that the details of the track and train damages must be corroborated by further detailed calculations and analysis.
This tragic incident marks Spain's worst rail disaster in over a decade, recalling the 2013 Galicia train crash that resulted in 80 fatalities.
