Cambridge scientist Marta Shahbazi dies in Spanish train collision

A University of Cambridge scientist has died in a train collision near Urda, south of Madrid, BBC News reported. The MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology confirmed the death of Dr Marta Shahbazi days after she was reported missing. The Spanish train disaster has killed at least 69 people. [1][3]

Dr Shahbazi was travelling on one of the trains involved in the crash, according to the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, where she led a group of researchers. She was an expert in cell biology who ran the Shahbazi Laboratory on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. The University of Cambridge lists her as an affiliate associate professor. [1]

The Spanish research centre CiMUS paid tribute to Dr Shahbazi in a social media post, describing her as a brilliant young researcher. She was also announced as the winner of a Spanish science award, BBC News reported. [1]

The disaster follows a high-speed train collision near Toledo in the same province. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pledged a safety review after the Toledo crash, while Transport Minister Oscar Puente suggested human error was the cause. [7][8]