A University of Cambridge scientist has been identified as one of the victims of the devastating train crash in Spain earlier this week.

Dr Marta Shahbazi, 41, was among 69 people killed on Wednesday when a train travelling from Madrid to Seville struck a stationary train on the same route near Toledo.

The “apocalyptic” collision, which left more than 100 people injured, is being investigated. Early findings indicate that up to four separate system failures may have contributed to the crash, which witnesses described as resembling the aftermath of a bomb blast.

Dr Shahbazi, who had children aged three and seven, was initially reported missing. She had been travelling to south-west Spain to collect an award recognising her pioneering research into IVF and early embryo development when the trains collided.

A Spanish research institute later confirmed the death of the “inspiring, talented and passionate” scientist in an online statement. The institute also expressed its condolences to Shahbazi’s aunt, who is herself a scientist.

Remembered as a “brilliant young researcher”, Shahbazi was an Affiliate Associate Professor at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute. She lived in Cambridge with her husband, Mirco Petruzzelli, and their children.

Her brother Carlos told The Times: “She lived for science and her kids. That was her whole life.” Colleagues have described her death as “a profound shock and a huge loss”.

The Centre for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases wrote: “The CiMUS community would like to express its support and deepest sympathies to our dear PI María José Alonso, following the death of her niece, Marta Shahbazi, in the railway accident that occurred on 28 October.”

“Marta was a brilliant young researcher, Group Leader at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Affiliate Associate Professor at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge.

“At this difficult time, we extend our heartfelt condolences to María José and her family, as well as to Marta Shahbazi’s colleagues and collaborators. Our thoughts are with them all, and we wish them strength and comfort as they come to terms with this profound loss.”

The MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, where Dr Shahbazi led a research group, had previously said she was missing after the crash.

The laboratory has since announced: “The LMB is deeply saddened by the tragic death of our colleague Marta Shahbazi, Group Leader in the Cell Biology Division.

“Marta was on a train that collided with another near Urda, Spain, on Wednesday 28th October, as she was travelling to receive the scientific excellence prize from the Spanish Society of Developmental Biology.

“Marta was an inspiring, talented and passionate scientist. Her death is a profound shock and a huge loss. Our thoughts are with her family, friends and colleagues at this extremely difficult time. The LMB is offering support to members of its community as they navigate this tragic loss.”

The Daily Mail has contacted the Foreign Office for comment.

CONTINUE READING: Alabama Shooting After Magic City Classic Leaves 1 Dead, 8 Injured

The crash is being treated as one of Spain’s worst transport disasters. The country observed three days of national mourning after the tragedy.

All trains along a 63-kilometre (39-mile) stretch had been stopped after a computer malfunction. However, central command instructed a Renfe train to resume its journey without imposing any speed restrictions.

A little more than 20 minutes later at 8.53am, it smashed into the back of the stationary Iryo train 100 miles south of Madrid, leaving carriages totally destroyed and derailed. It was reported that the locomotive was capable of travelling at speeds of 185mph. 

The first incident report released after the crash has suggested that there were a number of technical problems with the railway infrastructure that day.

There had been a failure in the security system which stops trains from colliding, leaving staff to enforce safety controls manually, like temporary speed limits.

Faults in communication systems and electrical disturbances on the track bed are also said to be to blame, although authorities are still unsure over what caused the outages. 

Spain’s Transport Minister Oscar Puente said that a controller told a stalled train to restart and continue travelling up to 160km/h (99mph), despite the stationary train being up ahead.

He said the control centre ‘had more than enough time to verify the error, and they did not fix it’.

He added: ‘The decision to resume traffic, while that system had not been restored, belongs to the control centre.’

The collision has caused a political crisis for Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who is heading towards an election in a month, with many critics blasting his administration for under-investing in its railway infrastructure.

They have highlighted that the crash came less than a year after 46 people died in January when a train jumped the track and hit an incoming one in southern Spain.

Up to 27 nationalities are believed to have been among those injured or killed in Wednesday’s crash. 

One survivor, Sebastian Herrero, 46, who was travelling on the Iryo train, said he was ‘thrown against the seats’ when the trains collided, and described how he was ‘in the air for about four or five seconds’, which felt like ‘a lifetime’.

He described the crash as ‘a twisted mass of metal’ while another survivor, Jesus, said he ‘saw a boy with an amputated arm walking away from the wreckage’.

Architect Joaquín Torres described the death of a horrifically injured fellow passenger.

He said: ‘I went up to a woman who said she was cold… she died in my arms. It was horrible, [she was] without legs, without arms.’

One carriage caught fire and smoke was still pouring from the mangled wreckage as emergency responders reached the scene. 

Fatima Banez, Spain’s former employment minister, has also been confirmed among the dead, as well as 24-year-old athlete Julieta Gallego.

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher has dismissed reports of tension between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers, calling the speculation “overblown”.

The comments follow reports of disagreements over government spending and the broader direction of its economic policy.

Speaking with David Speers on ABC’s Insiders on Sunday, Gallagher rejected suggestions of a rift after Chalmers said he accepted responsibility for government decisions. Reports had also portrayed him as the strongest advocate for tighter spending controls.

Asked whether Chalmers appeared to be the only senior minister accepting responsibility for the government’s political and economic challenges, Gallagher said she had not interpreted his comments that way.

“I think he was simply saying that he takes responsibility for the decisions he makes as Treasurer, just as I make them as Finance Minister, but collectively, and it’s not just the ERC, it’s the cabinet and the caucus, stand behind the decisions we’ve made.”

Gallagher stressed that policy decisions are made collectively, with all ministers sharing responsibility for the government’s actions.

“These are collective decisions, all of us are part of those decisions, and we all take responsibility for them,” she said.

The Finance Minister also rejected claims that Chalmers had been engaged in an internal dispute with Albanese.

“I’ve seen the stories written in the last few days. I think, from my point of view, they’re overblown,” she said.

Gallagher said it was normal for the Treasurer and Finance Minister to present different options during economic updates, budget discussions and the mid-year economic update.

She added that vigorous debate was expected within government and could be constructive, particularly because senior ministers had distinct responsibilities.

“I think it’s a very professional and respectful relationship,” she said of Albanese and Chalmers.

MUST READ: The Block Grand Finale Delivers One of the Biggest Auction Sales in Series History

“They’ve known each other a long time. We’ve worked in these roles, the three of us, for a number of years now.”

Pressed on whether differences between a prime minister and treasurer inevitably created tension, Gallagher acknowledged that ministers brought different perspectives but denied there was any personal conflict.

“We’ve all got slightly different jobs and come at things from slightly different perspectives as you would expect,” she said.

“Robust discussions as part of that through our processes, I think, is actually a good thing.”

“There is always a contest of ideas and I think that’s healthy and good.”

Gallagher also defended Labor’s fiscal management, arguing the government had improved the budget position since taking office while still funding essential services.

The Reserve Bank is widely expected to raise rates on Tuesday, which would mark its fifth increase this year, as Labor faces pressure to rein in spending amid stubborn inflation.

‘We’ve improved the bottom line in every budget and every budget update,’ she said.

Gallagher acknowledged mounting spending pressures from the NDIS, Medicare, aged care, defence and interest payments on government debt but rejected suggestions the government was ignoring the problem. 

‘The pressures on the budget are real,’ she said.

‘They are increasing and we have to deal with them, and we are dealing with them.’

Rep. Jim Clyburn’s (D-SC) office pushed back Saturday after reports that Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign had asked Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) not to attend his events. Clyburn’s team said Stevens was still welcome at a Sunday church appearance in Detroit.

“This is not Abdul’s event,” Clyburn adviser Antjuan Seawright told the New York Times. “The invitation still stands.”

Clyburn and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) had worked to arrange a meeting between the two Democrats following several days of public clashes over Israel and antisemitism.

According to the New York Times and Politico, El-Sayed’s campaign told Stevens to avoid the rest of his scheduled events.

Seawright also told the Wall Street Journal that both Democrats remained invited. He said Clyburn was focused on mobilizing voters rather than siding with either candidate in their dispute.

Clyburn told the Times on Saturday that he was unsure whether Stevens would attend the church appearance.

The conflict comes as El-Sayed faces Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers in a tight Michigan Senate race. Reuters reported that the campaign’s request could deepen divisions among Democrats just days before an election that may help determine control of the Senate.

READ MORE: Wagner rises from the ashes: Prigozhin's barbaric mercenaries are back – NewsFinale

Stevens narrowly fell to El-Sayed in the August primary but endorsed him after the contest. The two appeared together at party unity events soon after the election.

CNN reported Wednesday that Stevens and El-Sayed had not spoken in months, though their campaign organizations continued communicating. Stevens had offered to assist, and several former members of her campaign staff went on to join El-Sayed’s team.

The dispute centers on a Rebellion PAC advertisement that connected U.S. military aid to Israel with funding shortages for domestic priorities. Stevens and other critics denounced the ad as antisemitic. El-Sayed’s campaign said it was not involved, while the group’s Cenk Uygur defended the spot as a critique of government spending, not Jewish people.

Stevens said Friday that she accepted Clyburn’s invitation after Democratic intermediaries told her El-Sayed would condemn the advertisement. She also sought an apology for comments he made linking aid to Israel with shortfalls in domestic funding. In addition, she called on him to take down another campaign ad that used footage of Tucker Carlson criticizing Rogers. Carlson was not serving as an El-Sayed surrogate.

El-Sayed accused Stevens of “relitigating a primary that ended three months ago” and urged Democrats to concentrate on defeating Rogers. On Saturday, he said he disagreed with the Rebellion PAC advertisement but did not directly say whether he wanted Stevens at Sunday’s church appearance. Instead, he said he wanted to focus on campaign issues, including political spending, health care, and household costs.

Stevens’s fiancé, Jason Turkish, said he plans to vote for Rogers because of concerns about El-Sayed’s rhetoric regarding Israel and Jewish safety. Stevens, however, has said she will vote for El-Sayed.