Twelve foreign nationals are among the victims of the train crash near Urda, in the Spanish province of Toledo, which killed a total of 69 people. The identities of 66 of the dead have already been established, RTVE reported, citing the High Court of Castile-La Mancha.
Among the identified victims are 54 Spanish nationals. The foreign victims are four citizens of the United States and one citizen each of Argentina, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Japan, Mexico, Portugal and Tunisia.
Three bodies have not yet been identified. According to the court, they may also be those of foreign nationals. Authorities are maintaining active reports of two Australians and one Japanese national missing. The families of these people are expected to arrive in Spain to participate in the identification procedures in person.
Identifications continue
Of the 66 identities established, 53 have been confirmed through fingerprint analysis carried out by the Civil Guard's forensic service. The remaining 13 have been identified through DNA analysis carried out by the National Institute of Toxicology in collaboration with forensic scientists.
To date, 60 identifications have been communicated to the families. They concern 36 men and 24 women. The bodies of 47 of the deceased have already been handed over to their relatives.
„International cooperation is needed. "The train was carrying people of many nationalities," Castilla-La Mancha government spokeswoman Esther Padilla said earlier, when some of the identifications were still being completed.
Injured people remain in hospitals
As a result of the collision that occurred on October 28 near Urda, 41 victims continue to be treated in hospitals, 16 of them in intensive care. The investigation into the causes of the crash is ongoing.
The judge in the case has ordered that sufficient workers and shifts be provided for a continuous search of the collision site and the search for possible remains. The court has banned the publication of information and images related to the victims and their families in order to protect their personal dignity.
Sources: rtve.es