A total of 65 of the 69 people who died in the Urda (Toledo) train accident have already been handed over to their families, according to the latest data provided by the Data Integration Center (CID). The provisional toll of the accident remains at 69 fatalities, all of them adults.
Identification efforts concluded last Monday at the Institutes of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences of Toledo and Ciudad Real. Of the deceased, 54 were Spanish nationals and the other 15 were foreigners, from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, United States, France, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, and Tunisia.
The balance also shows that among the victims there were 40 men and 29 women. The CID has confirmed that all 69 identifications have already been communicated to their respective families and, in the case of foreign victims, also to the corresponding consular offices.
Fingerprints and DNA allowed the identification of all 69 victims
The identification process was carried out using two procedures. In 56 cases, fingerprints were used, a task developed by the Civil Guard's Criminalistics Service. The other 13 identifications were completed through DNA tests performed by the National Institute of Toxicology, in collaboration with the Civil Guard.
The agency explained that each identification was first communicated in person to the families. Only after officially confirming the notification was it included in the public figures of the balance.
More than 60 professionals have participated in the identification efforts
Since last Wednesday, more than 60 professionals have worked in Toledo to perform autopsies and complete the identification of the victims. Among them were forensic doctors from different institutes of legal medicine, autopsy technicians, specialists in DNA analysis, and Civil Guard agents.
In addition, a psychological support service has been set up to assist families during the process. Professionals from the institutes of legal medicine and the Office for Victim Assistance of Toledo participated in it. The Military Emergency Unit (UME) has also provided logistical support during the operations, facilitating the necessary means for the development of medico-forensic and identification tasks.
The Data Integration Center is the body responsible for providing official victim figures in this type of event, once the data has been cross-referenced.
