Two Australians have been killed in a deadly crash between two high-speed trains in central Spain last week.
The High Court of Justice of Castilla-La Mancha released a statement revealing that the two Australians feared missing amid the horror collision were among the 69 people confirmed dead.
“The work to identify those who died in the railway accident in Urda (Toledo), which has been carried out continuously since last Wednesday at the Institutes of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences in Toledo and Ciudad Real, has now made it possible to identify all 69 deceased people,” it said in a statement.
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“The 69 identifications correspond to 54 Spanish nationals and 15 foreign nationals, comprising: one Argentine, two Australians, one Canadian, one Czech, four Americans, one French, two Japanese, one Mexican, one Portuguese, one Tunisian.”
The authority said the victims were 40 men and 29 women, all adults. It added that 55 victims’ bodies have been released to their families.
“All 69 identifications have now been notified to the victims’ families and to the relevant consular offices for foreign nationals,” the authority said.
The devastating incident occurred when two high-speed trains heading in the same direction from Madrid to Seville collided near Urda, around 140km south of the capital.
The crash has reopened a debate about the safety of Spain’s high-speed rail network. (AP PHOTO) Credit: AAP
One ran into the tail of the other that was stopped, knocking two of its cars off the track.
It was the second accident on the same line this year after a crash in January that killed 46 people. It also marks Europe’s worst train crash since 2013.
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The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Saturday it was working to verify the safety of two Australian citizens believed to have been caught up in the disaster.
“Our consulate officials in Spain are working very hard. It’s obviously a very, very difficult situation,” MP Chris Bowen said on Saturday.
7News.com.au has contacted DFAT for comment.
Spain’s transport minister said on Friday it is believed the crash occurred after a computer failure knocked out the signalling system but a subsequent control-centre order for the train to resume its journey was “inexplicable”.
Calls for Spain’s transport minister to resign
Meanwhile, Spain’s transport minister will be grilled by lawmakers over the handling of the crash amid widespread calls for his resignation.
Oscar Puente is set to appear late on Tuesday before the Permanent Deputation, a reduced caretaker legislature that holds limited powers between parliamentary terms before Spain’s general election on November 29.
Puente has refused to step down, saying his way of taking responsibility was to “face up” to the crisis by explaining what happened to the public and fixing the system.
On Monday, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the government would approve an aid package doubling payouts for crash victims, advancing compensation payments and improving temporary incapacity cover.
Sanchez said the priority was helping victims and “restoring the shattered confidence in high-speed rail as soon as possible with whatever it takes”.
The Spanish government declared three days of mourning for those killed in a train crash. (AP PHOTO) Credit: AAP
After cabinet meets on Tuesday to approve the package, Puente is expected to present new safety measures.
Spanish newspaper El Pais, citing unidentified sources, reported the measures being considered included imposing a 40km/h speed limit when relying on a driver’s vision to see obstacles ahead if a signal system fails.
Spain would push for a faster rollout of the standardised European Rail Traffic Management System for safety and signalling across its network, the report said.
Implementation of the system is behind schedule on the line where the accidents occurred, government contracts show.
Other measures included hiring more staff and improving conditions in rail control centres, the report said.
With AAP.
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