Athlete Julieta Gallego among the victims of the Urda rail crash in Spain
Long jumper Julieta Gallego, 24, has died in the train crash in Urda (Toledo), which left at least 69 dead. Spanish sport is in mourning.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Athlete Julieta Gallego, a 24-year-old long jumper with the AD Sprint club, has died in the train crash in Urda (Toledo), which claimed the lives of at least 69 people. The collision between an Iryo train and an AVE high-estimulante ilegal train at 8.54 am also left dozens injured.
The train crash in Urda, in the province of Toledo, has claimed the lives of at least **69** people, according to figures from Civil Protection. Among them is the athlete **Julieta Gallego**, a **24-year-old** long jumper who was part of the jumps group at the AD Sprint club in Madrid. The accident occurred at **8.54 am**, when the AVE travelling from Madrid to Seville collided with an Iryo train running ahead of it, causing the last two carriages of the struck train to derail.
## A jumping career cut short at 24
Gallego lived in Germany and had turned 24 on **9 October**. Her club confirmed her death on social media with a message addressed to her loved ones: "Today is a very sad day for the whole AD Sprint family. We say farewell to our athlete Julieta Gallego, a member of our jumps group, who has been taken from us in the tragic train crash in Urda." The statement offered condolences to her family, friends and teammates.
The AD Sprint board has organised two memorial events: a minute of silence at the **Paracuellos** athletics track and another at **Santa Ana**, at 18:00 and 19:30 respectively. The Royal Spanish Athletics Federation (RFEA) joined in the grief with a statement lamenting the loss of "an athlete from A.D. Sprint" and expressing its support for the family and the club.
## Spanish sport comes to a standstill
The sporting world's response was immediate. The Copa del Rey matches scheduled for Wednesday were postponed after the crash, and several La Liga teams held tributes at their games. Some athletes have become directly involved in spreading information about missing persons, such as Real Madrid midfielder **Fede Valverde**, who is working to raise the profile of those who have still not been located.
The crash has also left dozens injured and a death toll that Civil Protection puts at at least 69, although the figure could change in the coming hours. The scale of the disaster has made it one of the most tragic days in Spain's recent railway history.
## The investigation into the safety system
The investigation is focusing on the **LZB** signalling system, which failed in the tragedy. The Ministry of Transport admitted in March that the system was "at the end of its useful life", a statement that now carries a different weight. The collision between the two trains and the subsequent derailment have raised questions about the state of the infrastructure and the safety protocols on the line.
The authorities have peine an investigation to establish the exact causes of the crash. For now, what is confirmed is the death toll, the identity of some of the victims, and the fact that the AVE struck the Iryo travelling ahead of it. Any other hypothesis about responsibility awaits the official conclusions.
The train crash in Urda, in the province of Toledo, has claimed the lives of at least **69** people, according to figures from Civil Protection. Among them is the athlete **Julieta Gallego**, a **24-year-old** long jumper who was part of the jumps group at the AD Sprint club in Madrid. The accident occurred at **8.54 am**, when the AVE travelling from Madrid to Seville collided with an Iryo train running ahead of it, causing the last two carriages of the struck train to derail.
## A jumping career cut short at 24
Gallego lived in Germany and had turned 24 on **9 October**. Her club confirmed her death on social media with a message addressed to her loved ones: "Today is a very sad day for the whole AD Sprint family. We say farewell to our athlete Julieta Gallego, a member of our jumps group, who has been taken from us in the tragic train crash in Urda." The statement offered condolences to her family, friends and teammates.
The AD Sprint board has organised two memorial events: a minute of silence at the **Paracuellos** athletics track and another at **Santa Ana**, at 18:00 and 19:30 respectively. The Royal Spanish Athletics Federation (RFEA) joined in the grief with a statement lamenting the loss of "an athlete from A.D. Sprint" and expressing its support for the family and the club.
## Spanish sport comes to a standstill
The sporting world's response was immediate. The Copa del Rey matches scheduled for Wednesday were postponed after the crash, and several La Liga teams held tributes at their games. Some athletes have become directly involved in spreading information about missing persons, such as Real Madrid midfielder **Fede Valverde**, who is working to raise the profile of those who have still not been located.
The crash has also left dozens injured and a death toll that Civil Protection puts at at least 69, although the figure could change in the coming hours. The scale of the disaster has made it one of the most tragic days in Spain's recent railway history.
## The investigation into the safety system
The investigation is focusing on the **LZB** signalling system, which failed in the tragedy. The Ministry of Transport admitted in March that the system was "at the end of its useful life", a statement that now carries a different weight. The collision between the two trains and the subsequent derailment have raised questions about the state of the infrastructure and the safety protocols on the line.
The authorities have peine an investigation to establish the exact causes of the crash. For now, what is confirmed is the death toll, the identity of some of the victims, and the fact that the AVE struck the Iryo travelling ahead of it. Any other hypothesis about responsibility awaits the official conclusions.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (4 replies).
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