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Spain Train Crash Identifies Two Australians Among 69 Dead

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World Desk

In Short: Spanish authorities have identified all 69 victims of the high-speed train crash, including two Australians.

Spanish authorities have identified all 69 victims of the high-speed train crash that occurred on October 28, including two Australians.

The crash, which took place when a Renfe AVE train slammed into the rear of a stationary Iryo train, resulted in the deaths of 40 men and 29 women, all adults.

Spain's transport minister, Óscar Puente, has announced his resignation following the disaster, which he attributed to a computer failure that knocked out the signalling system.

The collision, which occurred about 130 kilometers south of Madrid, involved 500 passengers and crew members on the two trains.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to the families of the two Australians who died in the crash.

The crash is the worst train accident in Europe since 2013 and the second on the same line this year, with a previous crash in January that killed 46 people.

Hundreds of people have taken to the streets to demand accountability for the rail system, which has been under political contention since the January crash.

A preliminary report indicates that the moving train was traveling at least 160 kilometers per hour before impact.

The Renfe AVE train had 397 passengers, while the Iryo train was carrying 147.

The Communications Office of the High Court of Justice of Castilla-La Mancha confirmed the identities of the two Australians to their families.

Background

What's confirmed

• It was the second accident on the same line this year after a crash in January that killed 46 people.
• Spanish authorities say they have identified 69 victims of the crash between two high-speed trains.
• "We send our deepest condolences to the families at this difficult time".
• "The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to the families of two Australians who died in Spain," a department spokesperson said in a statement.
• Two Australians died in a high-speed train crash in Spain last week, according to local authorities who confirmed the identity of 69 victims.

What's still developing

• Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow “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.
• A legal body set up to handle the identification work, made up of police and forensics experts, announced in a statement late on Monday the three latest confirmed victims – two Australians and a Japanese citizen.
• The latest disaster struck when a service by state operator Renfe ploughed into the back of a stationary train belonging to Spanish company Iryo outside the central village of Urda, about 130km (80 miles) south of Madrid.
• Australian authorities have launched an investigation into the country's connections to Hamam al-Hammami, the Omani Flydubai co-pilot accused of attempting to crash a passenger plane traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30.
• The Australian Federal Police (AFP) confirmed to the BBC that it was examining al-Hammami's ties to Australia in cooperation with state police and the country's security agency.
• Investigations are continuing into what caused the crash after a high-speed train collided with another train that had stopped on the tracks around 130 kilometres south of Madrid, with 500 passengers on board the two trains.
• "Our heartfelt condolences are with the families and loved ones of those killed, with those injured and all affected by the train collision in Spain," a DFAT spokesperson said.
• Senna Agius set a new Moto2 lap record, and Joel Kelso finished second in Moto3 as the Australians made a strong start to the San Marino Grand Prix at Misano.
• World Championship leader Jorge Martin only just made the MotoGP cut, Francesco Bagnaia was left down in 19th, and Jack Miller faced a difficult opening day that began with a crash and ended with the Australian 20th.
• In a statement released on Tuesday, the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Castilla-La Mancha – the body tasked with co-ordinating and overseeing the judicial investigation and legal response to the crash – confirmed it has formally identified all victims of the disaster.
• The tragedy last week saw a high-speed train smash into the rear of another on the line running south from Madrid, killing 69 people and injuring almost 200.
• “A transport minister in a country like Spain cannot remain in office after two accidents of this seriousness in less than a year,” he said.

Sources

• 7NEWSlink
• ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporationlink
• SBSlink
• The Guardianlink
• https://aapnews.aap.com.au/link
• Surinametimeslink
• Thenightlylink
• Independentlink
• Israelnationalnewslink
• Abclink
• Crictrackerlink
• Newslink
• Mcnewslink
• Smhlink
• WarpBeat — background on Two Australians Among 69 Dead in Spain Train Crash link
• ABC News — video link