At least 78 people have been killed in the passenger train
derailment in north-western Spain on Wednesday.
More than 140 were hurt, 36 seriously, after all eight
carriages of the Madrid to Ferrol train came off the tracks near Santiago de
Compostela.
Media reports say the train may have been travelling at more
than twice the speed limit around a curve.
Officials say one of the train's drivers has been put under
formal investigation.
It is one of Spain's worst ever train crashes. PM Mariano
Rajoy has declared three days of national mourning.
"Today is a very difficult day. Today we have lived
through a terrible, dramatic accident, which I fear will stay with us for a
long time.
"For someone from Santiago, like myself, believe me,
this is the saddest Day of Saint James of my life."
Two investigations are being carried out - one judicial, the
other by the investigative commission for rail accidents, under the Ministry of
Public Works, Mr Rajoy added.
"I want to express my affection and solidarity with the
victims of the terrible train accident in Santiago," Mr Rajoy said
earlier.
The black box of the train is now with the judge in charge
of the investigation.
The president of railway firm Renfe, Julio Gomez Pomar, has
said the train in the crash had no technical problems.
"The train had passed an inspection that same morning.
Those trains are inspected every 7,500km... Its maintenance record was
perfect," he told Spanish radio.
Spain generally has a relatively good record in terms of
rail safety, says the BBC's Tom Burridge in Madrid.
This is a country which has invested huge amounts of money
in its rail network, he says.
According to official figures, the crash is one of the worst
rail disasters in Spanish history.
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Source: BBC
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