Tamara Valdés remains missing, while Daniela Arteaga is hospitalised in Córdoba and out of danger.
14ymedio, Madrid, 20 January 2025 — There is no news of Tamara Valdés, the 39-year-old Cuban woman who disappeared after the train accident that occurred on Sunday night in Spain when two high-speed trains collided after one of them derailed. The accident has claimed the lives of 41 people so far, although the death toll could rise dramatically, as two carriages from one of the trains have not yet been lifted.
Tamara Valdés had been living in Huelva for several years. In that Andalusian province, the final destination of one of the trains, she lived with her husband Ramón Montón, who spoke to the local press on Monday while trying to locate her. “I’m very nervous, I still haven’t been able to locate her, it’s taken me three hours from Huelva, I’ve been rushing a bit. My wife was on the Alvia train, I spoke to her 20 minutes before the accident. She almost missed the train,” he said yesterday while waiting at the municipal booth in Adamuz (Córdoba), the town closest to the scene of the accident.
So far, the identity of another Cuban woman who was travelling on the same train has been confirmed. Daniela Arteaga was much luckier, according to her mother, who said early on Monday morning that she was out of danger. The 28-year-old graduate of the Higher Institute of Design had received a scholarship from the International University of Andalusia (UNIA) and had just arrived in Madrid, where she took the train to Huelva. “She is in a serious but stable condition,” María de la O Barroso, director of the UNIA’s Ibero-American Headquarters in La Rábida, told the Spanish press.
The 28-year-old graduate of the Higher Institute of Design had received a scholarship from the International University of Andalusia (UNIA) and had just arrived in Madrid, where she took the train to Huelva.
“She was travelling on the train covering the Madrid-Huelva route and suffered several broken ribs and head injuries,” a friend of the young woman told OnCuba News. According to his account, Arteaga was very happy to have secured a place on the postgraduate course in Communication and Audiovisual Education, as well as to be going to Spain, where she has no family.
The course director informed the students of the situation via email. “Today has been a very sad day for Huelva and for our master’s programme. The train accident in Adamuz has filled all of Spain with sadness, especially our province,” wrote Ignacio Aguaded. “Our student Daniela Arteaga, who arrived yesterday from her native Cuba, excited to begin the academic project of her life, was trapped in a pile of wreckage. Now, she continues to fight for her life in a hospital in Córdoba,” he added.
The rector of the institution, José Ignacio García Pérez, travelled to the Reina Sofía Hospital in Córdoba to visit her, along with other UNIA executives. “We hope to have her back in Huelva soon, where she will be cared for like family.”
The Cuban Embassy in Spain stated on Monday that it has confirmation that three Cuban citizens were travelling on the trains, one of whom is hospitalised – presumably Daniela Arteaga – and two have been discharged, whose identities are unknown.
The hospital is expecting a visit on Tuesday from King Felipe and Queen Letizia, who have just arrived from Greece to attend the funeral of an aunt of the Head of State. There they will meet with survivors, relatives of the victims and teams of psychologists and rescue workers, together with the First Deputy Prime Minister, María Jesús Montero, and the President of the Andalusian Regional Government, Juanma Moreno.
On the ground, work continues to lift the carriages. This morning, new heavy-duty cranes arrived, which are expected to help with the complicated task of accessing the carriages. In addition, 27 forensic scientists from six Andalusian provinces are involved in identifying the bodies, many of them using DNA from the families.
The accident has led to a large-scale emergency operation, the suspension of several rail connections and an investigation to clarify its causes. The number of fatalities in the train derailment has reached at least 41, with a total of 122 people treated for injuries, including 117 adults and five children. At this time, 39 people remain hospitalised.
The accident occurred at 7:50 p.m. when the last two carriages of a train belonging to the Italian company Iryo, travelling from Madrid to Malaga, derailed. At that moment, an Alvia train belonging to the state-owned company Renfe, travelling from Madrid to Huelva, was travelling on the adjacent track and was hit.
The accident occurred at a lower than normal speed (both vehicles were travelling at just over 200 kilometres per hour compared to the 350 kilometres per hour they can reach) and on a straight section of track. In addition, the Iryo train had passed an inspection just four days before the accident, so the investigation is focusing on the infrastructure to rule out any possibilities.
Furthermore, the Iryo had passed an inspection just four days before the accident, so the investigation is focusing on the infrastructure to rule out any possibility.
The Railway Accident Investigation Commission (CIAF) has determined that it will be necessary to analyse “the rails at the point where the derailment began” in a laboratory and inspect the running gear of the Iryo train in a workshop following the railway accident. It will also “extract data from the legal recorders on board both trains” and “information on the records of traffic through Adamuz in the two days prior to the incident”, as well as inspect “the running gear of other trains that previously passed through that point.
Condolences have poured in from all over the world, including Cuba. The Minister of Foreign Affairs sent a message via his Twitter account on Monday in which he made no mention of the Cuban victims. “We deeply regret the train accident in Spain, which has caused numerous deaths and injuries. We express our heartfelt condolences to the Spanish government and people, especially to the families and friends of the victims,” he said.
Miguel Díaz-Canel did the same a few hours later. “Heartfelt condolences to the Government and people of Spain for the victims and injuries caused by the derailment of two trains. All our solidarity at this sad time.”
Translated by GH
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