Former minister Fátima Báñez was traveling on one of the accident trains and the PP was unable to contact her

The former Minister of Labor of the Popular Party, Fátima Báñez, was traveling on one of the trains that crashed in Toledo, as party sources confirm to 20minutos. However, since the training they have not been able to contact her, so her condition is unknown.

At least 30 people have died and another 80 have been seriously injured this Wednesday in a collision between two high-speed trains, a Renfe AVE and an Iryo convoy, near Urda (Toledo), as confirmed by the Government of Castilla-La Mancha. The magnitude of the crash, which caused the derailment of two carriages, has forced the deployment of a large emergency device and the suspension of high-speed traffic between Madrid and Andalusia, as reported by Adif.

She is currently president of the CEOE Foundation, linked to the Spanish employers' association, which has also confirmed in X that the former minister was traveling on one of the trains and maintains that they are "waiting for news" from her. "Businessmen are dismayed by the train accident and we extend our condolences to the families and all our support to those affected," they conclude.

Fátima Báñez is originally from San Juan del Puerto (Huelva) and was a deputy for her province in the Congress of Deputies between 2000 and 2019. During those years she held different positions of responsibility within the PP, especially in Andalusia and in the economic area of ​​the parliamentary group.

Her most notable stage came with the Government of Mariano Rajoy, who appointed her Minister of Employment and Social Security in December 2011. She remained in office until June 2018, becoming the minister who has led this department the longest in Spanish democracy. Her management was marked by the economic crisis and especially by the labor reform of 2012. In addition, she temporarily served as acting Minister of Health, Social Services and Equality between August and November 2016.