Marrakech – A Moroccan woman was among the 45 victims of Spain’s deadliest train accident in over a decade, the Moroccan embassy in Madrid confirmed Friday.
The victim, a Madrid resident, was aboard one of two high-speed trains that collided Sunday evening near Adamuz in Córdoba province. The crash occurred at 7:45 p.m. local time when an Iryo train traveling from Málaga to Madrid derailed and collided with a Renfe Alvia service heading in the opposite direction between Madrid and Seville.
Nearly 500 passengers were aboard both trains during the collision on parallel tracks. The accident also injured more than 120 people, with some in critical condition.
Spanish investigators recovered the final two bodies Thursday from severely damaged carriages of the Renfe train, bringing the confirmed death toll to 45. According to Spain’s forensic medicine institute, 28 bodies were found in the Renfe train, six on the tracks, six in the Iryo train, and three between both trains.
The body coordinating victim identification reported that all victims have been verified through fingerprints. Besides the Moroccan woman, victims include one Russian and one German citizen. All other casualties were Spanish nationals.
Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch called Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez Wednesday to offer condolences. Akhannouch expressed “complete sympathy with victims and their families” and reaffirmed the friendship between both countries.
King Mohammed VI had previously sent condolences to Spanish monarchs King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia following the tragedy.
The collision happened on a recently renovated stretch of straight, flat track involving a modern Iryo train. Transport Minister Óscar Puente described the incident as “extremely strange,” with investigators working to determine the cause.
Spain experienced a second deadly rail accident Tuesday when a commuter train near Barcelona hit a collapsed retaining wall, killing one driver and injuring 37 passengers. The wall collapse was attributed to heavy rainfall in Catalonia.
The back-to-back accidents prompted safety concerns across Spain’s rail network. Train drivers’ union Semaf called a national strike for February 9-11, demanding infrastructure safety guarantees. Catalonia suspended its entire commuter network for safety inspections.
Spain observed three days of national mourning following the Adamuz disaster, its worst rail accident since 2013.
