A high-speed train derailed on a curve in northwestern Spain, leaving 80 passengers dead, of which 67 have alredy been identified, reported Spanish newspaper El Pais. Another 130 were injured, with 35 of them in a critical state. The train was carrying 222 people between Madrid and Ferrol when it left on Wednesday night, about two miles from the station at Santiago de Compostela.
All 13 carriages derailed, and four of them overturned, reported the USA Today. Analysts have clasified it as the worst rail accident in Spain in four decades. Images from the scene show bodies sprawled near ruined carriages, and emergency crews searching the wreckage.
"There are bodies lying on the railway track. It's a Dante-esque scene," said Alberto Nuñez Feijoo, leader of the regional government, according to the AFP. He also claimed it was too early to determine what was the cause of the accident. Another official made clear that the hypothesis they're working on is that the derailment was an accident, not an intended act of terror. "We are moving away from the hypothesis of sabotage or attack," he said.
According to El Pais, the train driver has admitted that at the moment of the crash the train was at a speed of 190 km/h., in a curve where the maximum speed allowed is of 80 km/h. The driver was identified as Francisco Garzón Amo. According to El Pais, one of the first things he said after the accident was, "we're human," hinting that he may have been the cause.
Garzón Amo has worked for Renfe company for over 30 years and became a train driver 10 years ago. At the moment, he is arrested in hospital, where he will be declaring as soon as he's able to. Garzón Amo allegedly posted a picture on his Facebook account on March 8, 2012, showing a speedometer racing 200 km/h, while bragging about reaching high speeds. The account, though, was shut down on Thursday morning.
Passenger Ricardo Montesco told radio station Cadena Ser, that the train carriages "piled on top of one another" after the train hit a curve. "A lot of people were squashed on the bottom. We tried to squeeze out of the bottom of the wagons to get out and we realized the train was burning...I was in the second wagon and there was fire. I saw corpses," he added. Fellow passenger Oscar Mateos said it only took five minutes for help to arrive, "but it felt like an eternity. I helped people with broken legs and a lot of injuries get off the train."
Thousands of Christian pilgrims were expected to flock to Santiago de Compostela to attend the city's main religious festival in honor of Saint James, but the city's tourism board said all festivities were cancelled.