Cambridge University scientist missing, USA News: A Cambridge University scientist remains unaccounted for following a devastating high-speed rail collision in central Spain that has claimed at least 69 lives. Dr. Marta Shahbazi, 41, a biologist and mother of two young children aged seven and three, has not been heard from since the disaster occurred on October 28.
Dr. Shahbazi was seated in the front carriage of an AVE service traveling from Madrid toward Andalusia to collect an award from the Spanish Society for Developmental Biology. The train plowed into the rear of a stationary Iryo train near the village of Urda in the Toledo province shortly before 9:00 a.m. local time. The collision left more than 100 passengers injured and approximately 70 people unaccounted for out of more than 500 passengers aboard the two trains.
Academic Background and Family Appeal
Dr. Shahbazi leads a research group at Cambridge’s MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology and serves as an affiliate assistant professor at Cambridge University. In an online statement, the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology confirmed it was deeply concerned after learning she was aboard the train, stating her whereabouts remain unknown and that it is in close contact with her family.
Her brother, Carlos Shahbazi, expressed the family’s anguish in statements to the Spanish newspaper El País, noting that their parents have provided DNA samples to authorities to help identify remains due to the severity of injuries sustained by victims. He described his sister as a wonderful, affectionate, happy, and tireless worker.
Investigation and Network Safety
Investigators report the disaster began when a controller at the Adif operations centre in Madrid mistakenly instructed the AVE driver to proceed at normal speed despite a signalling system failure, unaware of the stationary train ahead. Control room audio recordings captured staff admitting confusion moments before impact. A third train narrowly avoided the wreckage, stopping 600 yards from the site.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente has resisted calls from major opposition parties to resign, describing the event as tremendously exceptional and maintaining that the rail network is safe. Spain has recorded over 100 rail fatalities in the span of eight months following this incident and a previous crash in January.
