Two high-speed trains collide near Toledo in Spain, 69 dead
Two high-speed trains collided near Urda, south of Madrid, on Wednesday, and at least 69 people have died. Spain has declared three days of national mourning.
- At least 69 people died when a Renfe AVE train hit the rear of a stationary Iryo train near Toledo.
- More than 100 people were injured, dozens of them seriously.
- Madrid–Andalusia high-speed links remain suspended during the investigation.
- British scientist Dr Marta Shahbazi, 41, was among the dead.
At least 69 people were killed when two high-speed trains collided on Wednesday near the town of Urda, in the Toledo area south of Madrid, according to The Independent. A state-operated Renfe AVE train struck the rear of another train.
More than 540 passengers were travelling on the two services. Regional officials in Castilla-La Mancha said the stationary Iryo train carried 146 passengers and an infant, while 397 people were aboard the moving Renfe train.
More than 100 people were injured, and dozens were taken to hospital in serious condition. The impact derailed several carriages, some of which tumbled down an embankment.
The crash is Spain's deadliest railway accident since the 2013 derailment at Santiago de Compostela. Spanish authorities have declared three days of national mourning.
High-speed rail links between Madrid and Andalusia remain suspended. Authorities are investigating why the Renfe service was authorised to proceed before the impact.
Among the dead was Dr Marta Shahbazi, a 41-year-old scientist who headed her own laboratory at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. She was also an affiliate associate professor at Cambridge's Stem Cell Institute.
She was travelling to south-west Spain to receive an award from the Spanish Society for Developmental Biology. Her employer first reported her whereabouts as unknown, and her death was confirmed late on Saturday by the Spanish research centre CiMUS.
The LMB said: "Marta was an inspiring, talented and passionate scientist". It added: "Her death is a profound shock and a huge loss. Our thoughts are with her family, friends and colleagues at this extremely difficult time."
Why it matters
The crash is a major international disaster with a high death toll that is widely followed in Pakistan.
