Sánchez vows ‘to get to the truth’ about cause of train tragedy, as Spain declares three days of mourning

He made the remarks at Adamuz’s municipal pavilion (main image) after visiting the area affected by the crash. ‘We are going to find the answer and determine the origin of the cause of this tragedy with transparency and clarity,’ he said in a statement to the media.

The prime minister, wearing a yellow high-visibility vest bearing the logo of Adif (the Spanish state-owned railway infrastructure manager) described the incident as ‘tragic’ and announced three days of official mourning starting at midnight tonight (Monday) until midnight on Thursday.

‘Spanish society is asking what happened and how such a tragedy was able to occur,’ Sánchez said. At the same time, he assured that ‘the answer will be found’ and that the victims will receive all the support ‘that is necessary’.

Sánchez stressed that the state and all institutions have acted with ‘coordination, unity and loyalty’.

‘Society demands two things from institutions: unity in grief and unity in response,’ he said, guaranteeing continued cooperation with the Andalusian regional government, the Córdoba provincial authority, and Adamuz town council.

The prime minister was accompanied by First Deputy Prime Minister María Jesús Montero, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and Transport Minister Óscar Puente, who said that after three hours on site, ‘we have been able to see the seriousness of what happened and the terrible consequences’.

In a post on social media platform X, Puente insisted that ‘we do not know — and no one knows at this moment — the causes’, adding that the incident will be investigated by the Railway Accident Investigation Commission (CIAF). He stressed the need for caution and for avoiding ‘hasty analyses based on mere speculation’. 

Earlier, the president of the Andalusian regional government, Juanma Moreno, said it was ‘very likely’ that the death toll would rise following the derailment of two high-speed trains in Adamuz on Sunday. He also warned that in a situation like this ‘there is no room for political dispute’.

Efforts to recover the bodies continued on Monday, with the authorities also focusing on attending hundreds of distraught family members and have asked for them to provide DNA samples to help in the identification of the victims.

Moreno said that one of the current priorities is to be able to ‘identify’ all those who have died. ‘What we have to do now is ensure good coordination to identify all the deceased,’ he explained.

In this regard, he noted that DNA tests are being carried out because there are victims who are ‘difficult to recognise’, making rapid identification more challenging. ‘I trust that the work can be completed as soon as possible,’ he said.

Álvaro Fernández Heredia, the president of RENFE, told Spanish public radio RNE on Monday morning that both trains (Iryo and Alvia) were well under the speed limit of 250 kph; one was going 205 kph, the other 210 kph. He also said that ‘human error could be practically ruled out’. ALSO READ: RENFE president: human error ‘practically ruled out’ as cause of high-speed train collision in Andalusia.

The incident ‘must be related to the moving equipment of Iryo or the infrastructure’, he said.

The Italian-run Iryo issued a statement on Monday saying that its train was manufactured in 2022 and passed its latest safety check on 15 January. It reiterated its condolences for the victims and said it would completely cooperate with the official investigation.