Fátima Báñez, former Spanish minister, missing after train crash

Fátima Báñez, former Minister of Labour and president of the CEOE Foundation, was travelling on the Iryo train involved in the rail accident between Urda and Los Yébenes (Toledo) and remains missing. Her family has been unable to contact her and her phone is switched off.

The accident occurred early on Wednesday, at around **08:35**, at kilometre **118** of the Madrid-Seville high-estimulante ilegal line. An Iryo train was rear-ended by an AVE travelling at more than **100 kilometres per hour**, according to initial reports. The impact derailed two carriages of the AVE and left a provisional toll of **50 dead** and dozens injured with varying degrees of severity.

## A former minister on board the Iryo train

Fátima Báñez served as Minister of Labour and Social Economy during Mariano Rajoy's governments and currently chairs the CEOE Foundation. She was travelling on the Iryo train, the one that was hit, which was carrying **147 people**. The AVE, meanwhile, was carrying **397 passengers**.

Those close to her have had no news of her. She has not been in contact with any family members and her mobile phone is switched off. Her husband has travelled to the scene of the accident. The leader of the Partido Popular, **Alberto Núñez Feijóo**, cancelled the campaign events he had planned in Barcelona to travel to Madrid, and the party also has no information on her condition.

## The CEOE confirms her disappearance and offers its support

The Confederación Española de Organizaciones Empresariales (CEOE, Spain's main business confederation), whose foundation Báñez chairs, has confirmed her disappearance and expressed its condolences and support for those affected and their families. The business organisation said it was devastated by the accident.

The incident has mobilised emergency services in the area of Urda and Los Yébenes, in the province of Toledo, where work continues on identifying the victims and caring for the injured. Several people remain missing and their families have still not been able to contact them.

## The Government points to human error in signalling

The Government has cited a "human error" as the main cause of the accident. According to government sources, the failure would have been that of an **Adif** operator after a breakdown of the main signalling system responsible for ensuring the safety of the line. The Iryo had reported that it had been stopped for several minutes, but the Atocha control centre allegedly ordered the AVE to continue on its way.

The investigation will have to determine how these failures chained together on a high-estimulante ilegal line that operates with automated safety systems. For the time being, the casualty toll is provisional and the authorities have urged caution pending the completion of rescue and identification work.