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FLOODS of heartbreaking missing persons appeals are starting to emerge in the wake of Spain’s worst train disaster in 12 years.
Around 480 passengers were on the two trains that collided yesterday evening near Adamuz, Cordoba. Around around 150 were injured.
A further 48 are believed to have been hospitalised, with 12 in critical condition – on top of the 39 who died.
The disaster has created an information blackout for hundreds of families whose loved ones were on the trains, and whom they now can’t locate.
One family is desperately searching for a woman who is still missing following the deadly train collision near Adamuz, Cordoba, on Sunday evening.
Relatives and friends have turned to social media in an urgent appeal for information about Miriam Alberico, who was known to have survived the initial crash.
Miriam was travelling alone on the Renfe Alvia 2384 service from Madrid to Huelva when the disaster happened.
She was seated in Carriage 1, one of the front sections of the train, which suffered some of the most severe damage in the collision.
As of Monday afternoon, January 19 – 18 hours later – her family said they were still unable to locate her.
According to the appeal, however, Miriam survived and was taken to hospital, where she underwent medical tests, including chest and spinal X-rays.
Her relatives say they have not been told which hospital she may be in or what her current condition is.
“We are still unable to find her,” one family member wrote in a message shared online.
They added that she was wearing green corduroy trousers at the time of the journey and urged anyone with information to come forward.
The family has also asked for help from people working at Cordoba’s Reina Sofia hospital, where they believe she may have been treated.
READ MORE: Spain’s PM Pedro Sanchez to visit train disaster crash site where at least 39 people died
Despite being informed that tests were carried out, they say no further details have been provided.
The appeal has been viewed by millions of people on social media, with messages of support flooding in from across Spain.
Miriam’s case highlights the ongoing uncertainty facing hundreds of families affected by the Cordoba train disaster.
Emergency services and hospitals across Andalucia were overwhelmed in the immediate aftermath of the crash, with injured passengers taken to multiple medical centres.
Another missing passenger has also been reported in a separate appeal shared online.
She has been identified as Maria Eugenia Gallego Navasco, who was travelling on the Iryo high-speed train from Malaga to Madrid.
According to the post, she was seated in Carriage 8, seat 13D, when the Iryo train derailed.
Her family says they have received no news about her since the crash.
They have shared photos of what she was wearing and asked for any information that could help locate her.
The Iryo train was the first to derail before being struck by an oncoming Alvia service on the opposite track.
Another family is searching for 57-year-old Ricardo Chamorro, who was travelling on the Alvia Madrid–Huelva train that derailed on Sunday afternoon.
Relatives say they have checked all the city’s hospitals without success and are still unable to locate him, prompting an urgent public appeal for information.
A family of four from Huelva has also been reported missing after the Alvia Madrid–Huelva train crash.
Their names are Felix Zamorano, Pepe Zamorano, Cristina Alvarez and Pepe Zamorano (son). Relatives are urging anyone who saw them on the train or has information about their whereabouts to come forward.
A third family says they have been unable to contact Andres Gallardo Vaz since the crash on Sunday night.
He was travelling on a train heading towards Huelva, and relatives are asking anyone who has seen him or has information to get in touch.
Investigators believe there were just 20 seconds between the derailment and the fatal collision.
Spanish rail operator Renfe has described the circumstances of the crash as “strange” and says it could take days to determine the exact cause.
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