Spain Train Crash Death Toll Rises to 69: Athlete, Former Minister and Police Officer Among the Dead
The death toll from the collision of two trains near Urda in central Spain has risen to 69. On Wednesday morning a high-speed Renfe train crashed into a stationary Iryo train on the same track. More than 100 people were injured, many of them seriously.
The impact derailed carriages. There are fears the death toll could still rise; family members are searching for missing relatives in hospitals across the region.
The bodies of those killed have been taken to the main forensics institute in Toledo, where families have been giving DNA samples to help identify them.
The crash is the second rail disaster in Spain this year, and the worst in the country's history since 2013.
Among the victims is 24-year-old long-jump athlete Julieta Gallego, who competed for the Madrid athletics club AD Sprint. The club wrote on Instagram that the entire club is heartbroken.
The Royal Spanish Athletics Federation (RFEF) announced Gallego's death and expressed condolences to her family, friends and teammates. She regularly competed in Spanish club championships and had a best jump of 5.9 metres. RFEF president Raúl Chapado said her death is a blow that strikes at the very heart of the athletics family.
Another of the victims is former employment minister Fátima Báñez, 59. Her death was confirmed by the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE), which she chaired. The organisation said her warmth, generosity and commitment leave an indelible mark on businesses and the entire CEOE team.
Báñez served in the government of former prime minister Mariano Rajoy from 2011 until 2018 and was the first woman to hold the role. In 2012 she introduced controversial labour reforms that made it easier for companies to fire people, sparking mass protests across the country. Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso paid tribute to her, saying she would be deeply missed and that Spain loses a great political figure.
The Civil Guard confirmed the death of its officer José Manuel Chacón, 31, expressing its deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.
Finance and tax lawyer Antonio Montero Domínguez is also among the dead. He had been an inspector with Spain's tax authority between 2012 and 2016; legal news website El Derecho remembered him as a meticulous professional and a tireless worker.
Meanwhile, leaked audio recordings published by Spanish media have shed light on communications between a control centre and the train drivers in the moments before the crash. The recordings appear to show that one train was given clearance to move even though another train had stalled on the track. The disaster occurred when a train from Madrid to Seville barrelled into the stationary train; officials are investigating the cause.
