A young cardiologist is among the missing following the tragic train collision in Cordoba.
The family of Jesus Saldaña, 29, have said they are ‘desperate’ for answers after not hearing from him since the incident unfolded.
Jesus, who works at the Hospital Universitario La Paz in Madrid, was onboard carriage number eight of the Iryo train on Sunday, heading from his hometown of Malaga back to the capital.
Speaking to Cadena SER, his sister Natalia Saldaña said it has been ‘very difficult to communicate with anyone’ and described the situation as ‘desperate’.
It comes as the death toll from the disaster rose to 40 on Monday evening, with dozens more injured, many of them seriously.
According to Natalia, relatives have been ‘going from hospital to hospital across Cordoba’, with no record of Jesus being admitted under his name.
He has also not been identified among the confirmed fatalities, she said, although there are still victims pending formal identification.
Natalia, who is also a doctor and works at the Hospital Regional de Malaga, said she is being supported by colleagues who are using their professional contacts in an attempt to locate any patient matching her brother’s description.
So far, those efforts have been unsuccessful, and friends and family are sharing information about his disappearance on social media.
A brave Natalia said that ‘hope is the last thing to be lost’. She explained that she called her brother’s phone as soon as news of the crash appeared on television, but the call was answered by another passenger.
‘She is called Patricia, I don’t know anything else,’ Natalia said.
The woman had Jesus’s phone and remained in contact with the family while trying to help locate him, but without success.
After being transferred to a sports hall in Adamuz, she handed the phone to a Guardia Civil officer. ‘Now we have his phone, but we don’t have him,’ Natalia added.
Rail operator Iryo has activated a dedicated helpline for relatives of missing passengers on 900 001 402, while Renfe has made 900 101 020 available.
For information on hospital admissions within Andalucia, families can contact 061; for admissions outside the region, 953 001 149.
Anyone with information about people whose whereabouts remain unknown is urged to contact 112, the National Police on 091, or the Guardia Civil on 062.
