European Union prosecutors have opened an investigation into the potential misallocation of EU funds designated for upgrading the Spanish railway line where a catastrophic collision killed 69 people last week.
The inquiry, supported by a specialized unit of Spain’s Guardia Civil, is currently being conducted at the offices of Adif, the national rail infrastructure manager, and the Spanish Railway Safety Agency (AESF).
The October 28 disaster on the Madrid-Seville high-speed corridor ranks among the deadliest railway accidents in Europe this century. It marks the second EU fraud probe launched into Spain’s rail network this year, following a collision at Adamuz in January that claimed 46 lives.
In the most recent incident, a Renfe-operated train collided with a stationary Iryo service near the village of Urda, approximately 130 kilometers south of Madrid. The Lineside Electronic Block System (LZB), which monitors train positioning, had failed. Despite the Iryo train being unable to restart, the Renfe service was authorized to proceed at normal speed.
The two crashes, occurring nine months apart on the same line, have resulted in a combined death toll of 115 and left dozens more injured.
