The communist president of the Spanish government has been the target of extremely harsh criticism for corruption cases related to the railway accident in Madrid
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The railway accident that occurred on Sunday afternoon in the vicinity of Adamuz (Córdoba), which has so far left 40 dead and 39 people hospitalized, has caused deep shock in Spain and has opened an intense political debate about the management of railway infrastructure under the communist government of Pedro Sánchez.
In addition to the human tragedy, controversy has arisen after it became known that the section of track where the accident occurred was recently renewed by a company linked to the corruption scheme that affects the circle of former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos.
The accident occurred when a high-speed train operated by Iryo, which was covering the Málaga-Madrid route, derailed and entered the parallel track, colliding with a Renfe Alvia train that was traveling in the opposite direction between Madrid and Huelva.
Se han registrado más de 40 fallecidos y múltiples heridos tras el desarrilamiento del tren
The impact was devastating: two Alvia carriages fell down a four-meter (13.1-foot) embankment and were left practically disintegrated, which has made rescue and victim identification efforts more difficult.
According to the latest official report, 13 of the injured remain in the Intensive Care Unit, although their lives are not in danger. Emergency teams continue working in the area with support from the Military Emergency Unit, while forensic experts continue performing autopsies at the Córdoba Institute of Legal Medicine. The number of fatalities could increase, since the most damaged carriages are still being inspected.
On the political front, the preliminary investigation that points to the breakage of a section of track as the origin of the derailment has placed the spotlight on the Ministry of Transport and, by extension, on Pedro Sánchez's administration.
The controversy intensified after it was revealed that the Guadalmez-Córdoba section, completed in May 2025 with an investment of 52.5 million euros, was executed in part by the construction company Azvi, which is linked to contracts under suspicion in the framework of the well-known scheme involving Koldo García and former minister Ábalos.
El exministro de Transporte de Sánchez ha sido vinculado al accidente por el papel de la empresa Azvi en la manutención del tramo vial
Criticism from the opposition has multiplied, accusing the government of deficient oversight of public works and of having allowed irregular practices to influence infrastructure that is critical for citizens' safety. The fact that the affected section was renewed just a few months ago has reinforced doubts about the quality of the work and the inspections carried out.
The Railway Accident Investigation Commission (CIAF) has already requested from Adif the traffic records for the days prior and is analyzing both the rails and the black boxes of both trains. A court in Montoro has taken charge of the criminal proceedings.
The president of Renfe has ruled out human error or excessive speed, which reinforces the hypothesis of a problem in the infrastructure.
Sánchez suma una nueva acusación luego de que la CIAF haya solicitado los registros de circulación
