Four Americans and 1 Canadian among the 69 dead in Spain’s train crash

MADRID — Four Americans and one Canadian were among the 69 people killed in last week’s high-speed train collision in Spain, authorities said. So far, 66 of the dead have been identified, authorities said late Sunday. Most of those killed in the crash last Wednesday when a high-speed train slammed into another that had stopped on the tracks were Spanish nationals. Other foreigners among the fatalities who have been identified include one each from France, Japan, Argentina, Mexico, Portugal, Tunisia and the Czech Republic. Authorities said three persons remained missing — two Australians and one Japanese. The crash in the province of Toledo came just nine months after another collision farther south on the same Madrid-Seville line killed 46 people. The collisions have shaken confidence in the Spanish rail network long hailed for its speed and safety. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has pledged an investigation and improvements to restore trust in the system that carried some 45 million travelers last year, including millions of tourists. The crash happened one month before a Nov. 29 general election in which Sánchez is seeking to extend his eight-year premiership. He is now facing questions about the safety of the railways and investments under his governments in Spanish infrastructure.