Spanish authorities have identified two Australians among the 69 people killed in a high-speed train collision near Urda, Spain.
Spanish authorities have confirmed that two Australians are among the 69 people killed in a high-speed train collision that occurred last week near the village of Urda, approximately 130km south of Madrid.
A legal body composed of police and forensics experts, including the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Castilla-La Mancha, announced that all 69 victims have been identified. The deceased include 54 Spanish nationals and 15 foreign citizens. The foreign victims consist of four Americans, two Australians, two Japanese, and one each from Argentina, Canada, France, Mexico, Portugal, Tunisia, and the Czech Republic. Of the total fatalities, 40 were men and 29 were women.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) confirmed it is providing consular assistance to the families of the two Australians. In a statement, DFAT said, “We send our deepest condolences to the families at this difficult time.” Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong stated she sent her “deepest condolences on behalf of Australia” to Spanish counterpart José Manuel Albares and the people of Spain following the “devastating” collision.
The accident occurred when a service operated by the state operator Renfe collided with the rear of a stationary train belonging to the Spanish company Iryo. The Renfe AVE train was carrying 397 passengers, while the Iryo train was carrying 147 passengers.
According to reports, an automatic safety system failure had halted all trains on a 63km stretch of track. However, a control centre authorized the Renfe service to resume its journey while the Iryo train remained stationary on the tracks. Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente described the decision to resume trains without speed restrictions as “inexplicable.”
This incident marks Spain's second high-speed train collision this year, following a crash in the Andalusia region in January that killed 46 people. The latest disaster has led to significant political tension. Following the collision, protesters, including far-right groups, gathered outside Spain's Ministry of Transportation in Madrid to demand the government's resignation.
Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente resigned on Tuesday following the crash and withdrew from the list of candidates for the general election scheduled for November 29. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has pledged an investigation and called for increased safety measures to restore confidence in the rail system. Sánchez stated, "We are working day and night not only to support the victims' families, but also to establish every last detail of this tragedy and strengthen safety measures to ensure it never happens again."
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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