A light railway tourist train overturned on Saturday evening during the annual tapas festival in Cártama, a town in the province of Málaga, leaving 17 people injured. Local authorities have confirmed that among the injured are several British tourists, prompting a travel advisory from the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
The accident occurred shortly after 8pm local time when the open-air tourist train, popular among visitors for transporting them around festival venues, lost stability on a curved section of track near the town’s central plaza. The carriage is reported to have toppled onto its side, causing passengers to be thrown from their seats. Emergency services arrived within minutes, treating the injured on site before transferring them to surrounding hospitals, including Hospital Regional de Málaga and the private Hospital Xanit International.
According to the Andalusian health service, of the four British nationals injured, two have been discharged after treatment for minor cuts and bruises. A further two remain under observation with suspected fractures, though none are said to be in critical condition. The remaining injured include Spanish and other European Union nationals. Local police have cordoned off the area and are investigating the mechanical and operational conditions of the train, which is operated by a private company under municipal contract.
The tapas festival, a fixture of the local calendar, attracts thousands of visitors each year. The incident has prompted the town’s mayor, Jorge Gallardo, to suspend the remaining programme of events citing public safety. “Our priority is the wellbeing of the injured and their families,” he said in a statement. “We will cooperate fully with the investigation to determine what happened.”
For British tourists, the Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for Spain, urging those visiting the region to exercise caution around similar tourist transport and to follow local authority guidance. Consular assistance has been offered to those affected. The British Embassy in Madrid is in contact with local hospitals.
The episode underscores ongoing concerns about regulatory oversight of tourist transport in Spain’s crowded public festival spaces. While injuries from such incidents remain rare, the tourism industry’s rapid post-pandemic recovery has placed renewed strain on infrastructure and safety inspections.
Further updates are expected as the investigation progresses.
