Two Australians among 69 dead in Spain high‑speed train crash
A high‑speed train collision in Toledo, Spain, killed 69 people, including two Australians.
Victims identified
The Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Castilla‑La Mancha announced on Tuesday that it has formally identified all 69 victims of last week’s train crash in the province of Toledo.
Among the dead are two Australians, bringing the total number of foreign nationals killed to fifteen. The foreign fatalities also include four Americans, two Japanese, and one each from Canada, France, Argentina, Mexico, Portugal, Tunisia and the Czech Republic.
Spanish nationals accounted for 54 of the 69 deaths.
Details of the collision
The disaster occurred when a high‑speed Renfe AVE train struck the rear of a stationary Iryo service on the Madrid‑Seville line.
The Renfe train was carrying 397 passengers, while the Iryo train had 147 on board.
Official response and controversy
Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente attributed the crash to human error, saying a control centre in Madrid failed to inform the AVE driver that the Iryo train was stopped ahead.
Rail unions reacted sharply, accusing the minister of scapegoating control‑room staff and calling for his resignation. The two train operators have offered differing accounts of the information given to the drivers.
Broader context
The Toledo crash follows a collision on the same line nine months earlier that killed 46 people, raising concerns about safety on Spain’s high‑speed network.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has pledged an investigation and improvements to restore confidence in a system that transported about 45 million travellers last year.
