Young athlete and former minister among victims of Spain train crash

A 24-year-old athlete and a former government minister are among the victims of a deadly train crash that killed 69 people near Urda in central Spain on Wednesday morning.

The crash, between a high-speed Renfe train and a stationary Iryo train on the same track, also injured more than 100 people injured, many seriously.

The impact caused carriages to derail, and there are fears the death toll could still rise, with reports of family members searching for missing relatives in hospitals across the region.

The bodies of those killed have been taken to the main forensics institute in Toledo, where families have been giving DNA samples to help identify them.

The crash is the second rail disaster in Spain this year, and the worst in the country's history since 2013.

Julieta Gallego, 24, was a Spanish long jumper who competed for Madrid athletics club, AD Sprint.

"The entire club is heartbroken," it wrote on Instagram.

The Royal Spanish Athletics Federation (RFEF) announced her death, external, expressing its condolences to her family, friends and teammates.

Kaynak: BBC News World RSS (Açık Basın / Haber Servisi)