THE Cordoba train crash death toll has risen to 43 as searches continue for the 45 reported missing.
The Servicio de Criminalistica de la Guardia Civil has already identified 41 of those who they know to have died during the crash, which is the first accident of this scale on high speed Spanish railways.
Of the 43 dead, 28 were found on the Alvia train that was heading to Huelva when it was hit by the derailed Iryo train, confirms the Centro Integrado de Datos (CID).
An additional six were discovered in the tracks of the Alvia carriages, while six more were found inside the Iryo train. The three other corpses were situated between the two vehicles.
As of this afternoon, 42 autopsies have been completed with 41 bodies having been officially identified by the Guardia Civil.
Even after these identifications there are still 45 unaccounted for individuals, with reports from loved ones having been made at police stations in Madrid, Malaga, Cordoba, Sevilla and Huelva.
Families of these missing passengers have issued desperate appeals on social media while investigators are examining a faulty joint in the tracks as a possible cause of the crash.
The two trains collided at Adamuz, Cordoba on Sunday evening after the first, operated by Iryo, derailed.
Carrying 317 passengers it slammed into an oncoming train, a Renfe Alvia high-speed service, and sent it into an embankment. This second train had over 180 people on board.
In addition to killing more than 40 individuals, the collision left over 150 injured, making it the worst Spanish train crash for over a decade and the worst in Andalucia’s history.
All high-speed AVE train services between Madrid and Andalucia are currently suspended.
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