Spain train crash victims include athlete Julieta Gallego and ex-minister Fátima Báñez
Sixty-nine people died and more than 100 were injured when a high-speed Renfe train hit a stationary Iryo train near Urda in central Spain.
At a glance
- A Renfe high-speed train hit a stationary Iryo train near Urda in central Spain on Wednesday, killing 69 people.
- More than 100 people were injured and the death toll could still rise, with families searching hospitals for relatives.
- Victims named include long jumper Julieta Gallego, 24, and former employment minister Fátima Báñez, 59.
Sixty-nine people were killed and more than 100 injured, many of them seriously, when a high-speed Renfe train collided with a stationary Iryo train on the same track near Urda in central Spain on Wednesday morning.
The impact caused carriages to derail, and there are fears the death toll could still rise. Family members have been searching hospitals across the region for missing relatives.
The bodies of those killed were taken to the main forensics institute in Toledo, where families are giving DNA samples to help identify them. The crash is the second rail disaster in Spain this year and the country's worst since 2013.
Athlete and former minister named
Among the victims was Julieta Gallego, 24, a Spanish long jumper who competed for the Madrid athletics club AD Sprint and was a regular on Spain's athletics circuit. She had a best jump of 5.9m (19ft 3in), the local outlet ABC reported.
"The entire club is heartbroken," AD Sprint wrote on Instagram. The Royal Spanish Athletics Federation announced her death and expressed its condolences to her family, friends and teammates. Its president, Raúl Chapado, told ABC that her death was a "blow that strikes at the very heart of the athletics family", adding: "Today, the sport mourns the passing of Julieta, a life ahead of her that has been unjustly extinguished."
The death of Fátima Báñez, 59, a former employment minister, was confirmed by the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE), which she chaired. "Her warmth, generosity, and commitment leave an indelible mark on businesses and the entire CEOE team," it said.
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 labour reforms that made it easier for companies to dismiss workers, sparking mass protests across the country.
Madrid's regional president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, said Báñez would be "deeply missed" and that "Spain loses a great political figure".
Other victims
The Civil Guard confirmed the death of its officer José Manuel Chacón, 31, in a statement expressing its "deepest condolences" to his family, friends and colleagues.
Antonio Montero Domínguez, a finance and tax lawyer, was remembered as a "meticulous professional" and "tireless worker" by the legal news website El Derecho. Spain's tax authority, where he had been an inspector between 2012 and 2016, confirmed his death.
Source: BBC World.
Questions and answers
- Where did the Spain train crash happen?
- The collision happened near Urda in central Spain on Wednesday morning, between a high-speed Renfe train and a stationary Iryo train on the same track. Carriages derailed in the impact.
- How many people died in the Spain train crash?
- Sixty-nine people were killed and more than 100 were injured, many seriously. Fears remain that the death toll could rise.
- Who were the victims of the Spain train crash?
- Those named include long jumper Julieta Gallego, 24, former employment minister Fátima Báñez, 59, Civil Guard officer José Manuel Chacón, 31, and tax lawyer Antonio Montero Domínguez.
