// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Cambridge scientist killed in Spain train crash was 'a light for all of us'
María José Alonso said her niece Marta Shahbazi (left) was "the friendliest person"
The aunt of a University of Cambridge scientist killed in the Spanish rail disaster has paid an emotional tribute, describing her niece as "a light for all of us".
Dr Marta Shahbazi was travelling to collect a prize for scientific excellence in Andalusia on 28 October, when her train crashed into another near Urda, south of Madrid, killing 69 people.
María José Alonso told the BBC a funeral had been held in Madrid on Monday for the mother of two.
"Hundreds of friends came from all over the world... because Marta was an amazing lab mate and amazing friend," she said. "She was the friendliest person you can imagine, with lots of energy. She was a light for all of us."
Shahbazi, 41, had been announced as the winner of a Spanish Society for Developmental Biology award for her contributions to the study of early human development.
She was due to collect the award at a conference in El Rompido in Andalusia.
Alonso said her niece had originally intended to travel to the ceremony by car with her family, but decided to take the train.
"Her family was here in Madrid, and they could have gone together by car - but she said 'no, stay here'," she said.
After learning about the crash, Alonso said she and the family had made their way to the station in Madrid and spent the entire day there, trying to find out what had happened.