Europeupdated 52m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 24 September 2016Cambridge Scientist Dr Marta Shahbazi Dies in Renfe-Iryo Train Crash Near Urda
“the LZB system stopped functioning at 8:31 am on Wednesday, prior to the collision.”
“a control center was aware a stalled train was unable to resume operations but did not take steps to stop another one that was approaching from the rear.”
Photo: Rubén Ojeda, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
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Marta Shahbazi Alonso, 41, Cambridge molecular biology researcher, died in Urda rail disaster. The Toledo Urda crash killed at least 69 people and injured many others.
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Marta Shahbazi Dies
A University of Cambridge scientist, Dr Marta Shahbazi, died in a Spanish train disaster that killed at least 69 people, the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology confirmed. The collision happened when a state-operated Renfe high-speed train smashed into the back of a stationary train operated by the Iryo company near Urda, south of Madrid. The MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology said Dr Shahbazi was on one of the trains but that her whereabouts were "unknown", external.
CiMUS paid tribute to her as a "brilliant young researcher" and said the CiMUS community expressed its support and deepest sympathies to María José Alonso after the death of her niece, Marta Shahbazi, in the railway accident that occurred on 28 October. The BBC said the Spanish CiMUS institute planned to present her award during the society's conference in El Rompido, Andalusia, south-west Spain.
Urda Crash and Mourning
Spain observed a third day of national mourning on Saturday after a deadly train collision in Urda, Toledo, claimed the lives of at least 69 people earlier this week. Castilla-La Mancha's leader Emiliano Garcia-Page warned they "do not rule out more dead," saying emergency services had collected "31 bags of partial remains" that complicated identification work. The legal authorities in charge of the process said 67 reports for missing people remained active, including 14 for foreign nationals.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Spain was working "tirelessly" to complete the identification process. The BBC said the collision happened near Urda, south of Madrid, and that more than 540 people were on board both trains.
Rail Safety Fallout
Spanish transport minister Óscar Puente faced pressure after the Urda crash, and he ruled out resigning while announcing new measures aimed at reducing technical risks and "restoring public confidence" in the railway system. The Spanish Union of Train Drivers and Railway Assistants (Semaf) urged the State Railway Safety Agency (AESF) to act "urgently" to "clarify and amend the regulations governing the rail protection system, LZB," and procedures related to the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). Preliminary information from the Independent Authority for the Technical Investigation of Accidents and Incidents (AITAT) said the LZB system stopped functioning at 8:31 am on Wednesday before the collision.
An investigation found "as many as four systems failed" before the crash that killed 69 people. Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, admitted "trust in high-speed rail has been broken" after Wednesday’s train collision killed at least 69 people.