Authorities in Spain have confirmed the identities of more foreign nationals killed in last week’s deadly high-speed train collision, bringing the total number of identified victims closer to completion.
Among the 69 people who lost their lives in the crash were four American citizens and one national each from Canada, Japan, Argentina, Mexico, Tunisia and the Czech Republic.
The Wednesday accident, described as one of Europe’s deadliest rail disasters this century, has left families facing an agonising wait as forensic experts work to identify the victims, with some identification processes involving individual body parts.
A legal body established to coordinate the identification exercise, comprising police officers and forensic specialists, announced the latest 10 foreign victims in a statement released late Sunday.
The authorities had previously confirmed the deaths of a French and a Portuguese national, alongside 54 Spanish citizens.
According to the statement, all but three of the victims have now been identified, while missing-person reports involving two Australians and one Japanese citizen remain active.
Authorities said they were waiting for the families of the three missing individuals to travel to Spain for in-person identification, in line with their wishes.
The latest tragedy marks Spain’s second high-speed train collision this year, reigniting concerns about railway safety in the country. In January, another crash in the southern region of Andalusia claimed 46 lives.
