Death toll in Spanish rail accident lower to 12

Spanish authorities on Saturday finished forensic work on the remains of a group of partygoers killed by an express line as they crossed railway lines to reach a beach festival, and reduced the number of dead by one to 12.

Spanish authorities on Saturday finished forensic work on the remains of a group of partygoers killed by an express line as they crossed railway lines to reach a beach festival, and reduced the number of dead by one to 12.

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The Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia said in a statement that forensic services had been able to finally determine the number of fatalities from the numerous body parts recovered. In addition to the dead, at least 14 people were injured at the coastal resort of Castelldefels, south of Barcelona, shortly before midnight Wednesday as about 700 young people left a train heading for traditional bonfires to celebrate the feast day of St. John on a Mediterranean beach.

The court said 10 of the dead had been identified, leaving forensic experts still working to identify two people. The statement said the court had asked for information contained in the train's black box to be made available to accident investigators.

Also Saturday, officials said police had fined a woman who climbed down from the station platform and crossed railway lines at the same spot hours after the deaths.

There is both an overhead bridge and an underground crossing at the station, although on the night of the accident the bridge had been closed and the tunnel was packed with people. Five of those killed were Ecuadorean, two were Bolivian and two were Colombian nationals, the government said. The nationality of the most recently identified victim was not released. The feast of St. John is popular in Spain where bonfires illuminate beaches on the mainland and its Balearic and Canary Islands.