The authorities still do not have information on the condition of the former Spanish Minister of Labor Fatima Bañez, who was travelling on one of the two high-speed trains that collided near Urda in the province of Toledo. This was announced by Antonio Sanz, adviser to the presidency and head of the emergency services in Andalusia.
“I cannot give them information about Bañez, but we are in contact with her relatives who are already in the area. We are gathering information“, Sanz told the victim support center at the “Santa Justa“ station in Seville. He said the former minister's relatives had gone to the scene of the crash.
Relatives have been directed to assistance centers
Sans urged the families of the passengers to use the free telephone lines opened by the railway companies Renfe and Iryo. They can also seek assistance at the support centers for relatives opened at the stations in Seville and Cordoba.
“There are people here to receive them and provide them with information”, said Sans. He specified that few relatives of the passengers had arrived in Seville, as some of them had headed directly to the area of the crash. Some of the victims did not have identification documents, making it difficult to establish their identities.
At least 64 dead and 80 injured
The number of victims in the collision near Urda is at least 64, with 80 injured. Fifty of the injured are in serious condition. The incident involved a Renfe AVE train and an Iryo train, carrying a total of more than 540 people. Rail traffic between Madrid and Andalusia has been disrupted.
Sans refused to comment on the possible causes of the crash. According to him, clarifying them is the responsibility of the central government and the railway companies. The investigation must establish how the collision occurred and why some of the carriages left the track.
Sources: elpais.com