Train collisions in Spain: Who were Antonio and Daniel, the Renfe AVE drivers?

Antonio Acedo and Daniel Muñoz Cob were at the controls in the cabin when they received the call from the Atocha control center ordering them to continue their journey. Seventeen minutes later, the high-speed train of the national company Renfe that they were driving collided with a stationary train belonging to the private Spanish company Iryo. The toll shows at least 69 deaths. Who were these two drivers who lost their lives trying to save the lives of their passengers?

Antonio Acedo, 36, is the man who tried to stop the TGV until the last moment before its collision with the other train. Born in Móstoles, a Madrid suburb, he was the son of a train driver and the grandson of a Renfe electrician, according to the Spanish daily El Mundo. He trained as a photographer before becoming a train driver. His Instagram account is full of black and white photos.

He denounced the degradation of infrastructure

A member of the Spanish left, Antonio Acedo regularly denounced the deterioration of his working conditions. “He rebelled against the degradation of infrastructure and the deterioration of the roads,” his friend Paula Fraga told El País. “He was very concerned about the feeling of insecurity. His death could have been avoided. » He leaves behind his pregnant wife, according to El Mundo.

Next to him was Daniel Muñoz Cob, a 31-year-old driver-in-training. Daniel began his train driver training in 2019 and joined the company in March as a beginner driver, according to El País. In the past, he had worked as a maintenance technician in several companies, according to the daily. Practicing boxing, Daniel lived with his parents in the El Carrascal district, in Leganés, 11 km south of Madrid, reports El País.