Spain mourns as death toll in high-speed multiple train crash disaster mounts to 41
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Rescuers described the scene as a "mass of twisted metal," with some victims found hundreds of metres from the point of impact.
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ADAMUZ (Spain), Jan 20: Spain is on national mourning as the death toll from a catastrophic high-speed train collision in the southern Andalusia region rose to 41 confirmed fatalities on Tuesday.
The disaster, which occurred late Sunday evening near the town of Adamuz in
Cordoba province, is the deadliest rail accident the country has seen since
the 2013 Santiago de Compostela derailment.
The incident unfolded at about 7:45 pm when a high-speed train operated by
the private consortium Iryo, traveling from Malaga to Madrid with roughly 300
passengers, derailed on a straight section of track. The final carriages of
the Iryo service veered into the adjacent line, where they were struck head-on
just 20 seconds later by an oncoming Renfe Alvia train traveling from Madrid
to Huelva.
The force of the impact was so severe that the lead carriages of the Renfe
service were thrown down a five-metre embankment. Rescuers described the scene
as a "mass of twisted metal," with some victims found hundreds of metres from
the point of impact.
Casualties and rescue: As of Tuesday morning, regional authorities confirmed
death toll at 41 (including the driver of the Renfe train) and injuries to at
least 122 people with 9 remaining in intensive care. Approximately 484 people
were on board the two services.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the site in Adamuz, calling the
accident a "day of sorrow for all of Spain" and promising a "thorough and absolutely
transparent" investigation.
Transport Minister Oscar Puente has characterized the derailment as "extremely
strange," noting that the accident occurred on a flat, straight stretch of track
that had been completely renovated in May 2025.
Investigation: While human error and speeding have been practically
ruled out—both trains were travelling below the 250 km/h limit—investigators
are currently focusing on two main theories:
Early evidence suggests a "broken joint" in the rails may have created a gap,
though it is unclear if this occurred before or because of the impact. The most
significant lead involves a faulty rail joint identified by experts at the crash
site. Preliminary findings suggest a gap between rail sections may have widened
over time due to wear.
However, the Ministry of Transport has countered that the joint may have broken
as a result of the collision, rather than being the cause of it.
Experts are also examining coach six of the Iryo train, which was the first
to show signs of excessive vibration before jumping the tracks.
Survivor testimony from carriage six—the first to derail—describes "excessive
vibration" and violent swaying for several seconds before the train left the
tracks.
The Spanish train drivers' union (SEMAF) revealed that it had sent a formal
warning to the infrastructure manager, ADIF, in August. The letter specifically
cited "heavy wear and tear," potholes in the trackbed, and imbalances in overhead
power lines on this exact stretch.
The high-speed line between Madrid and Andalusia remains closed, with services
expected to be suspended until at least the end of the week as heavy machinery
clears the wreckage.
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SELECTIONS FROM OUR ARCHIVES |
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Top Govt officer thrashed, kicked inside Bhubaneswar office: Incident sparks a debate
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The incident has triggered a debate on social media whether the officer refused to take orders from a party leader or he was accused of any corruption, some netizens justifying the handling in either case, that Ratnakar was blocking public welfare work! It is true the Govt machinery has been the enemy Number One of the people of this country, existing for itself and for these politicians, for well over seven decades. India will never make an inch of progress - real progress, not make-believe-progress - unless and until this machinery is eliminated.
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UK's House of Commons votes to legalise assisted dying: What it means | |
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Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla line brings Kashmir Valley on India's rail map |
- The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla line provides Kashmir with all-weather connectivity and integrates the Valley with the rest of India.
- The saying 'Kashmir to Kanyakumari' is now a dream come true.
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railway bridge, taller than the Eiffel Tower. (Video: File)
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Work done, Elon Musk steps down from DOGE, leaves White House | |
Musk wrote: "My scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end... The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government." Now on it will be on auto-pilot.
PROGNOSIS: DOGE was prematurely born to protect the country by aborting an impending socio-economic disaster which very few people could see coming.
Although its immediate job was to save American taxpayers billions by slashing waste, eliminating fraud, cutting Government bloat and ensuring utmost efficiency in administration for the good of the people.
(Today's headlines )
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Ailing Asiatic lion Pataudi too dies of bird flu at Kanpur zoo
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Originally from Junagadh, Gujarat, Pataudi was relocated to Etawah Lion Safari in September 2019 before being transferred to Gorakhpur Zoo in 2021. Recently it was receiving treatment for pancreatic and liver infections. After tigress Shakti died in the zoo on May 7 due to bird flu, Pataudi was shifted to Kanpur. Some birds are also reported to have died mysteriously around Gorakhpur. All zoos in UP are closed for fear of a bird flu outbreak.
Three other animals too had died - a tiger, a leopardess and a female wolf. Wolf Bhairavi died last Saturday, leopardess Mona died the Thursday before that and tiger Kesari died on March 30. Some of them had Shakti's symptoms but the cause of death has not been confirmed yet.
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48 tourist destinations closed in Kashmir following Pahalgam terror attack
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As tourist inflow is an indicator of normalcy returning to an erstwhile terrorist infested Valley, the Government has been trying hard to make everything travel-friendly, launching lot many projects and bringing Kashmir on the national rail map that physically completes the process of Kashmir's integration with the rest of India. And that defeats the designs of Pakistan eyeing Kashmir and simply explains a recrudescence of terrorism in J&K.
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Trump slaps ‘kind’, ‘reciprocal’ tariffs on trading partners; a 'lenient' 26% on India!
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What motivated Trump's newfound policy, apart from being a stunt to justify his existence in the White House, is a false realisation that increased tariff will make foreign goods prohibitive, thereby boosting local production, and create more jobs, and more prosperity will ring in! If that is true, India would have been shining by now: Producing own Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail and Scotch Whiskies! And what about coconut and palm oil by America!
(Today's headlines )
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Trump signs order to shut Education Dept - And the contrast with India
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PROGNOSIS: It looks a Real New Trump is emerging - courageous, balanced, powerful and disinterested. Determined to save his country from the cliff, he has done quite a few draconian things that will reduce the burden of debts of the Federal entity, like the golden handshake, stopping senseless funding, pulling out of a worthless WHO. Shutting the Education Department is another. On the other hand, running it is also not the Centre's job either (We will convincingly elaborate it in the next chapter).
In India the scene is just the opposite. Centralisation is the core agenda and identity of the ruling dispensation without which it has no existence, or in other words, it exists for that set of schemes only. A realisation of this never dawned upon any Opposition party in 2014 or any time thereafter, what to talk of being able to see it coming 70 years ago! The consequence of all this violation of basic natural law of the universe we cannot predict.
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All 80k health workers in US offered $25,000 voluntary buyout: Administering wrong prescriptions!
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The terminations are part of a large-scale exercise going on all across Fed departments and organisations to reduce wasteful Government expenditure as decided by a Trump in a mess gone berserk, and improve administrative efficiency following the whims of billionaire and his associate Elon MusK and his DOGE. It has not been shared how terminations are going to raise the efficiency bar! It looks like Trump has stolen some of the prescriptions meant for India. But the American problems are quite different.
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