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Experts say that the part found near Spain crash site could be missing its undercarriage

A large metal piece found near the crash site of a high speed train in Spain could?be the missing undercarriage the investigators are searching for, to determine the cause of the accident.

At least 42 people were killed in the crash, which was one of Europe's largest, that occurred on Sunday near Adamuz, a small town located in the south of Turkey.

Inaki Barron is the head of Spain’s railway accident investigation body CIAF. He said that on Monday, the investigation will focus on a missing piece, called a bogie. This part is important because it acts as a key point of contact for the speeding train and the tracks. It could also shed light on what caused the derailment.

Photos taken on Tuesday showed that the piece was partially submerged in the?small stream' to the side a railway bridge, about 15 metres (49 feet) below the tracks. The crash site is approximately 300 meters away.

The Transport Minister, Oscar Puente, told TVE state broadcaster on Wednesday that this bogie was one of "hundreds of pieces of evidence being collected" and that it had been found on Monday by Civil Guard but left in its place because of its weight. He did not specify which of the two train involved in the accident the piece belonged to.

BOGIE FLEW OUT LIKE ?BULLET, SOURCE SAYS

Sources briefed about the investigation said that the component is believed to be the so-called bogie, the train's undercarriage on wheels. It belonged to the private consortium Iryo's first derailed train.

The source said that due to the high speed of the two trains and their impact, the bogie, which was very heavy, flew out like a bullet.

Over the last three days, investigators have cordoned off the area around the crash site, marked and photographed every piece of evidence found on the track. This piece was unmarked and was not in the cordoned-off area when it was photographed on Tuesday afternoon.

The state rail company Renfe sent an email to customers on Wednesday after the photo was taken. It said: "(The piece) is under investigation by the railway accident investigation body CIAF. We cannot add any additional information or comments outside of the scope"

Adif, the Spanish Transport Ministry and?Iryo did not respond to immediate requests for confirmation from them that the part photographed was actually 'the missing bogie. Ferrovie Stato in Italy, which owns Iryo majority, refused to comment on the matter due to the ongoing investigation.

EXPERTS SAY PHOTOGRAPH APPEARS AS A BOGIE

Gareth Dennis, a Scottish railway engineer who writes about the industry, said that bogies (the element that holds the wheels and suspension of the train) are frequently thrown free during high-energy accidents.

Dennis said that the location of the bogie, and the section it left from, will help investigators determine the exact trajectories and energies of the derailed cars. (Reporting and writing by David Latona, Susana Vera and Corina Poons; Additional reporting and writing by Emma Pinedo and Leo Benasatto, Writing and editing by Aislinn Laing; Rachel Armstrong, Sharon Singleton and Aislinn Laing)

(source: Reuters)