Concerns for welfare of two Australians after Spanish train crash

Australian authorities are working to confirm the welfare of two Australians following this week’s deadly train crash in Spain.

A high-speed train on Wednesday smashed into the rear of another on the line running south from Madrid to Seville, killing at least 69 people and injuring almost 200.

Consular assistance was being provided to the family of two Australians in connection with the collision, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said.

A spokesperson expressed the department’s “heartfelt condolences” for all affected by the collision.

“Owing to our privacy obligations, we are unable to provide further comment,” it said in a statement

Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente has blamed the disaster on human error at a control centre in Madrid that failed to tell the driver of a high-speed Renfe AVE service that another train, run by private operator Iryo, was stationary on the tracks ahead.

The Renfe AVE train had 397 passengers, and the Iryo train had 147.

But the minister’s comments have provoked a furore, with rail unions accusing him of “scapegoating” the rail control workers and demanding his resignation, while the train operators offered different accounts of what drivers had been told.

The accident comes with memories still fresh of another crash between high-speed trains in southern Spain in January involving trains from the same two companies.

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