The Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences in Toledo and Ciudad Real has completed the identification of all 69 people killed in the railway accident in Urda, Toledo, according to information from the Integrated Data Centre (CID), established under Spain’s protocol for incidents involving multiple fatalities.
The victims were 40 men and 29 women, all adults. Fifty-four were Spanish nationals and 15 were foreign nationals: one Argentine, two Australian, one Canadian, one Czech, four American, one French, two Japanese, one Mexican, one Portuguese and one Tunisian.
All families have been informed of their loved ones’ deaths, and 55 families have been able to receive the victims’ remains. The relevant consular offices were also notified about the foreign nationals who died. The CID said the identifications were carried out with the greatest possible rigor and speed.
More than 60 professionals took part in autopsies and identification work in Toledo. The teams included forensic doctors from institutes in Toledo, Ciudad Real, Cáceres and Cuenca, as well as two forensic doctors advising Spain’s Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes. Eight autopsy technicians and nine specialists from the National Institute of Toxicology also contributed.
The Civil Guard’s Criminalistics Service carried out fingerprint identifications and DNA analysis using samples from relatives who had reported people missing. A total of 27 Civil Guard officers from its Criminalistics and Judicial Police units took part.
Four psychologists provided support to the victims’ families. The Military Emergency Unit supplied logistical support to the forensic institute until identification and family notifications were complete.
Sources: elDiario.es.