Citizens from the United States, Canada, Japan, Argentina, Mexico, Tunisia and the Czech Republic were among the 69 people killed in a high-speed train collision in Spain, authorities said.
Wednesday’s disaster ranks as one of Europe’s deadliest rail accidents this century. The collision has forced relatives to endure an agonising wait while forensics teams identify the dead, in some cases using individual body parts.
A specialised legal body of police and forensics experts announced ten foreign victims in a statement on Sunday. Four of the deceased were US citizens, while Canada, Japan, Argentina, Mexico, Tunisia and the Czech Republic each lost one national.
Authorities had previously confirmed the deaths of a French citizen, a Portuguese citizen and 54 Spaniards. Three reports concerning missing people remain active, involving two Australians and one Japanese citizen.
Officials stated that families who have been contacted want to travel to Spain for in-person identification. Authorities are awaiting their arrival.
The tragedy was Spain’s second high-speed train collision of the year. A previous crash in the southern region of Andalusia in January resulted in 46 deaths, raising questions about the safety of the nation’s rail network.
The disaster occurred when a service operated by the state railway company Renfe struck the rear of a stationary train belonging to the Spanish private company Iryo. The crash happened outside the central village of Urda, about 130 kilometres south of Madrid.
Investigators found that the failure of an automatic safety system had halted all trains along a 63-kilometre stretch of track. A control centre subsequently authorised the Renfe service to resume its journey while the other train remained stationary on the line.
The catastrophe unfolded exactly one month before a general election scheduled for 29 November. In that vote, Socialist leader Pedro Sánchez will attempt to overcome unfavourable polls and extend his eight-year premiership.
