Cambridge Scientist Marta Shahbazi Dies in 69-Fatality Spanish Train Crash
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Nov 1
Cambridge Scientist Marta Shahbazi Dies in 69-Fatality Spanish Train Crash
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Nov 1
Summary
Dr Marta Shahbazi, an award-winning Cambridge cell biologist, was among 69 people killed when two trains collided near Urda, south of Madrid, as she traveled to collect a scientific prize.
More than 540 people were aboard the trains when a state-run Renfe high-speed service slammed into the rear of a stationary Iryo train, making it Spain's worst rail crash since 2013.
The MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology said Shahbazi's death was a "profound shock and a huge loss," while Cambridge's Stem Cell Institute said her pioneering work on early human development would be greatly missed.
Shahbazi, a mother of two who led a research group at the LMB, had been due to receive a Spanish Society for Developmental Biology award for her contributions to the study of early human development.
Spain has declared three days of national mourning after one of Europe's worst modern rail disasters.
How did an inexplicable computer failure and human error cause one of Europe's deadliest high-speed rail disasters?
What happens to the groundbreaking embryo research of a pioneering Cambridge scientist abruptly lost in a tragic accident?
The Urda High-Speed Rail Disaster: 69 Dead, Systemic Failures, and the Crisis of Spanish Rail Safety
Overview
A catastrophic train collision near Urda on October 28, 2026, was triggered when a delayed upgrade left the Madrid-Seville high-speed line without modern safety systems. A computer failure disabled the LZB automatic control, forcing manual traffic management. Controllers instructed a Renfe train to proceed at normal speed, ignoring safety limits, even after being told the track was blocked by a stalled Iryo train. The Renfe train crashed into the Iryo train at over 200 km/h, killing at least 69 people, including renowned scientist Dr. Marta Shahbazi. The disaster sparked national mourning, overwhelmed hospitals, and ignited political turmoil and union strikes demanding urgent rail safety reforms.