A minor accident at a popular annual culinary event in the Andalusian town of Cártama, located just outside the major tourist hub of Málaga in southern Spain, has left 17 people with non-life-threatening injuries, local authorities confirmed Sunday. The incident unfolded shortly after 21:30 local time (20:30 BST) on Saturday evening, when one wagon of a tourist road train carrying approximately 30 passengers overturned while navigating a turn at a crossing on Santo Cristo Road. No serious injuries have been reported, city officials emphasized in statements released after the accident.
Among the injured, four people including three children required further medical care and were evacuated by emergency response teams to a nearby hospital for evaluation and treatment. All casualties are expected to make full recoveries, with none facing critical health conditions, per local updates. Social media posts from witnesses at the scene show first responders attending to the injured, including one child receiving care while seated on the pavement near the derailed wagon.
The free tourist road train was a complimentary shuttle service offered as part of Cártama’s annual five-day La Ruta de la Tapa y el Cóctel, a community-focused event designed to support local food and beverage businesses. Running from June 10 to 14 this year, the event invites attendees to travel across the city to participating restaurants and bars, where they can sample signature tapas and cocktails, collect stamps from each establishment they visit, and enter a raffle for promotional prizes. The shuttle train was intended to make travel between venues easier for event-goers, stopping at regular intervals to drop off passengers at participating businesses.
As of Sunday, the tourist train service has been temporarily suspended for the remainder of the weekend while local officials launch an investigation into the root cause of the overturn. At this stage, authorities have not confirmed what led to the accident, and are reviewing witness statements and on-site evidence to determine contributing factors. Located roughly 17 kilometers from Málaga and a 44-minute drive from the upscale coastal resort of Marbella, Cártama is a popular stop for both domestic and international tourists visiting the Costa del Sol region, particularly during the spring and early summer event season.