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Spanish long jumper Julieta Gallego was among at least 69 people killed when two high-speed trains collided in Toledo province on Wednesday.
The Royal Spanish Athletics Federation expressed its condolences on Thursday following the death of the 24-year-old.
“The Spanish athletics family joins in the grief over the passing of Julieta Gallego, athlete of AD Sprint, in the train accident that occurred in Urda (Toledo),” the federation (RFEA) said in a statement on X, offering its support to her family, friends and club teammates.
Gallego competed for Madrid-based AD Sprint and was a regular participant in Spain‘s club championships. Her long jump personal best was 5.90 metres (19 feet 4 inches), set in Antequera in 2023.
“There are blows that strike at the very heart of the athletics family. Today, the sport mourns the passing of Julieta, a life ahead of her that has been unjustly extinguished,” RFEA president Raul Chapado told Spanish newspaper ABC.
The crash was the second deadly accident in less than a year on the line connecting Madrid to southern Andalusia.
A former Spanish minister has also died in the wake of Wednesday’s collision.
Fátima Báñez served as minister for employment and social security while in government between 2011 and 2018. Her death was confirmed by the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE), which she chairs.
The search for survivors among the wrecked carriages is ongoing on Thursday, following the crash that also injured more than 100 people.
“With deep sorrow, we bid farewell to Fátima Báñez, president of Fundación CEOE,” the organisation said. “Her warmth, generosity, and commitment leave an indelible mark on businesses and the entire CEOE team.”
A total of 544 people were travelling on two trains that crashed just after 9am, causing several carriages to derail, between the towns of Mora and Orgaz near Toledo.
Footage from regional Castilla-La Mancha Television showed a derailed train with at least one carriage remaining on an elevated section of track while twisted metal, broken panels and wreckage could be seen strewn across an embankment beneath the line.
