Former minister feared dead after 69 killed in Spain’s high-speed train crash

A former Spanish minister is feared dead after 69 people were killed in Spain’s second deadly high-speed train crash this year.

Fátima Báñez, who served in government between 2011 and 2018, was travelling on one of the trains and is said to have been in one of the worst-affected carriages, according to Spanish reports.

The searched for survivors among the wrecked carriages is ongoing on Thursday, following the crash on Wednesday that also injured more than 100 people.

Sources close to Ms Báñez, the former minister for employment and social security, said she was one of the people who died in the accident near the town of Urda in Toledo, Democrata reported.

The Spanish Confederation of Employers' Organizations (CEOE), of which she is chairwoman, and her former People’s Party (PP), had previously confirmed she was onboard the train.

She was travelling on the derailed Iryo train before 9am on Wednesday morning, Democrata added.

As Spain reeled following its fourth deadly train crash this year, cranes worked through the night to lift the wreckage of the crash in a rural area in the Toledo province. Emergency workers seen carrying what appeared to be a body wrapped in a blanket.

"Rescue teams are still working very carefully, because we still cannot say with certainty that there are no more victims trapped in the twisted wreckage," Esther Padilla, a spokeswoman for the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha, told TVE.

"A canine unit was deployed yesterday. They will go back in today to make sure that nobody else remains there," she added.

Emiliano Garcia-Page, the region’s leader, said the death toll had risen to 69 people and that human remains had been found during overnight rescue efforts. Work now involved crane operations, particularly on a carriage that was still overturned.

"We do not believe there could be any more fatalities beneath that one, but I say this with caution," he said.

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