Canadian among 69 dead in Spain high-speed train crash

A Canadian and four Americans are among the 69 people killed in last week’s high-speed train collision in Spain, authorities said late Sunday, according to The Canadian Press.

Of the dead, 66 have been identified, authorities said. Most of the victims, 54 of 69, were Spanish nationals. The Canadian’s name and details have not been made public in the reporting available to Canada News Media.

The crash happened last Wednesday in the province of Toledo, when a high-speed train slammed into another that had stopped on the tracks. Other foreigners identified among the dead include one each from France, Japan, Argentina, Mexico, Portugal, Tunisia and the Czech Republic.

Three bodies remain to be identified and three people are reported missing: two Australians and one Japanese national, authorities said.

The collision came nine months after another crash farther south on the same Madrid-Seville line that killed 46 people. The two crashes have shaken confidence in a rail network long praised for its speed and safety, and which carried about 45 million travellers last year, including millions of tourists.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has pledged an investigation and improvements to restore public trust in the system. The crash happened a month before a Nov. 29 general election in which Sanchez is seeking to extend his eight-year premiership, and he now faces questions about rail safety and his governments’ infrastructure investments.

Canadians who need consular help in Spain can contact Global Affairs Canada’s emergency watch and response centre. This story is developing, and we will update it when more details are confirmed.

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Source: The Canadian Press, via Global News.