Adamuz accident: The Civil Guard sends the Iryo train driver's statement to the court

Madrid / BarcelonaThe Ministry of the Interior and the Civil Guard appeared this Thursday to report on the work carried out by the police, including the submission of an initial report to the court in Montoro (Córdoba), which will oversee the judicial investigation into the Adamuz train accident. As part of these initial steps, the police have provided the judge with 2,500 photographs, as well as statements from the train driver, crew, and passengers, without ruling out expanding the range of witnesses later.

"We are in a very preliminary phase of the investigation," stated the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and the head of the Civil Guard's forensics unit, Fernando Domínguez, at a joint press conference in Madrid. The authorities did not provide further details. "The investigations will continue, and we will be open to taking statements from many other people who are considered relevant to the investigation. All of this, of course, will be under the direction of the judicial authorities," said Domínguez.

This Thursday, the Civil Guard and all emergency services reported that they have now found 45 victims of the Adamuz train crash, a figure that coincides with the number of missing persons reported by families since Sunday night. The last two bodies were found this afternoon and have already been identified, according to Grande-Marlaska and Domínguez.

As Fernando Domínguez explained, these last two bodies were found in the second carriage of the Alvia train, which, along with the first, was in the worst condition due to the collision. When the bodies were not found, the Civil Guard had expanded its search perimeter, but Domínguez explained that they were finally found in the carriage that had already been inspected, after a more thorough search.

Awaiting the results of the black boxes

When asked what conclusions they draw from the conversation advanced by Eldiario.es Regarding the statement given by the Iryo train driver to Adif – which indicated he was unaware of the collision with the Alvia train – both Marlaska and the head of the Civil Guard's forensics unit have declined to comment. In fact, they stated that the police have not yet opened the trains' black boxes and that the content of the statements given to the judicial police cannot be officially released. They specified that the contents of the two trains' black boxes will be transferred in Madrid in the presence of both the Civil Guard and the Railway Accident Investigation Commission (CIAF), which is already conducting an investigation into the causes of the accident. The minister clarified that there will be two parallel investigations, the judicial one and the CIAF's, as their purposes are different. While the judge must determine whether criminal liability arises from the events, the Commission must identify the cause of the accident and modify the protocols to prevent a similar accident from happening again in the future.

The minister praised the work of the security forces for the "immediacy" with which they responded to the scene. Specifically, he explained that although the Iryo train derailed at 7:45 p.m., they received a call from 112 (the emergency services number) at 7:47 p.m. and were already at the accident site by 8:00 p.m. He did not clarify, however, at what point the Civil Guard discovered another train, the Alvia, some 800 meters further on, in worse condition. Civil Guard sources clarified that it was at 8:15 p.m., although several media outlets indicated that there were witnesses who said it was later. As soon as they arrived at the scene, according to the police, the magnitude of the incident was confirmed and they acted quickly.

"No incidents since 2021"

Investigations into the causes of the accident are underway. However, the Ministry of Transport warns that the investigation will be "complex," reiterating that there was no maintenance issue with the tracks. This Thursday, the Spanish government reminded the public that the section of track where the accident occurred in Adamuz belongs to the Madrid-Seville high-speed line, which began operating in 1992. In fact, it was Spain's first high-speed rail corridor. According to the Ministry of Transport, the last renovation of this line was in 2025 and included the partial replacement of tracks and crossings. In the case of the Adamuz section, both elements were completely replaced in May of last year with an investment exceeding 700 million euros "and in strict compliance with European standards." The Spanish government reports that between 2021 and 2025, 1,304 incidents were recorded on the lines passing through Adamuz. These incidents, defined as any disruption to the operation of the rail service—ranging from breakdowns and supply failures to speed restrictions—were observed. However, on the specific section where the accident occurred, there were 70 incidents, 14 of which took place in 2025. "Only one of these was classified as a track failure and affected the Alvia service," they emphasize in a report. They also assert: "On the section and track used by the Iryo train involved in the accident, no track incidents have been recorded from 2021 until the date of the accident."