By Nina Lopez and Michael Francis Gore
ADAMUZ, Spain, Jan 20 (Reuters) – Emergency services in Spain used cranes on Tuesday to gain access to the worst-hit carriages in a high-speed train crash as they sought to recover the remains of people still missing in a disaster that has killed at least 41.
Spaniards are reeling following the first-ever deadly accident on Spain’s extensive high-speed rail network, which occurred on Sunday evening near Adamuz in Cordoba province, about 360 km (223 miles) south of Madrid. Experts say a faulty rail joint might be key to determining the cause of the derailment that led to the collision between two trains.
Another body was found overnight within the wreck of the first derailed train that belonged to private consortium Iryo, elevating the death toll to 41, authorities said on Tuesday.
At least three bodies have been seen still trapped inside the wreckage, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told state broadcaster TVE late on Monday.
He said that police had received 43 missing-person reports, which broadly matched the provisional death toll, but cautioned that the final number would not be confirmed until rescue teams had lifted the derailed carriages.
The collision occurred in rolling, olive-growing countryside in the foothills of a mountain range. The site is only reachable by a single-track road, making it difficult for rescuers to access with heavy machinery.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia were set to visit the site along with Deputy Prime Minister Maria Jesus Montero later on Tuesday, the government’s public agenda showed.
Tales by survivors of tragedy and fortune were beginning to emerge on Tuesday.
Lola Beltran told TVE she had changed carriages minutes before the crash, moving from her assigned seat in one of the hardest-hit cars to another carriage to sit with a colleague.
“We had to break the windows with emergency hammers and pry open the doors to get out,” Beltran said, describing scenes of chaos, screams, and torn-out seats.
(Writing by David Latona; Editing by Charlie Devereux and Tomasz Janowski)
