It
was a tragic day for dozens of families in Spain as a speed train traveling
from Madrid to the town of Ferrol derailed and crashed killing seventy seven
(77) passengers. Read how CNN.com reported the incident after the cut….
Madrid
(CNN)
-- An express train derailed as it
hurtled around a curve in northwestern Spain on Wednesday, killing at least 77
people and injuring more than 100, officials said.
At
least 73 people died at the scene, and four others died while hospitalized,
said María Pardo Ríos, spokeswoman for the Galicia regional Supreme Court. In
Spain, judges typically record deaths that take place outside of hospitals.
Judicial
teams are still at the crash site and expect to find more bodies, she told CNN
Thursday morning. There is no word yet on the nationalities of those killed.
More
than 20 injured victims remained in critical condition early Thursday, said
Agustin Hernandez Fernandez of the Galicia infrastructure ministry.
Flames
burst out of one train car as another car was snapped in half, following the
crash. Rescue crews and fellow passengers pulled out bodies through broken
windows and pried open doors as stunned survivors looked on.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBt7GvfIXfCKr7ceiCvmHDOApMR2sAW8ST1F-img5GZahqkSmWvu7_pFfFMlbf_aYHm0Pp4KrCnCAff2uthth_P06Yv1bx2vcyx6jcs9jktZFplPQjHROhg8mazCOkcpVCCixqn2Bf_GQ/s1600/Train+crash.jpg)
The
train had 218 passengers aboard and was nearing the end of a six-hour trip from
Madrid to the town of Ferrol in northwest Spain when it derailed at 8:41 p.m.,
Wednesday, the railway said.
It
was unclear how fast the train was traveling when it crashed. It was capable of
going up to 250 kilometers per hour (155 mph), said Julio Hermida, spokesman
for the state railway.
The
train driver, who suffered minor injuries, told police he had entered the bend
too fast, Spain's public service TV network TVE reported.
Spain's
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy viewed the scene of devastation Thursday morning.
He is also expected to visit the injured in hospital, TVE said.
Rajoy,
who is from the area, expressed his condolences to those affected by the
accident via Twitter.
Alberto
Nunez Feijoo, head of the regional government in Galicia, declared seven days
of mourning for victims of the train tragedy, TVE reported.
A
passenger who got off at the last stop before the train derailed told the
broadcaster it was packed with people at the time.
Residents
who lived near the tracks told the Voz de Galicia newspaper that they heard a
thunderous bang when the train crashed. Many of them rushed to the area with
blankets and bottled water for the injured.
"The
train had broken in half. Some pieces were on top, some pieces were on the
bottom," said Ivette Rubiera Cabrera of Florida, who caught a glimpse of
the wreckage while on a family vacation in Spain.
"It
was quite shocking," she said. "We had never seen anything like that.
We had just been on the train last week."
Oscar
Mateos told Spain's El Pais newspaper
that he saw fellow passengers thrown to the floor, then tossed from one side of
the train to the other.
"Help
came in five minutes, but that time became an eternity," he said. "I
helped people get out with broken legs and many bruises."
Alen
Perez, 16, said he had been walking nearby and saw passengers helping each
other out of the train.
Emergency
vehicles swarmed the scene. There were several bodies on the ground, he said.
Photos
he took of the crash site showed mangled pieces of a train car and black smoke
billowing out of the wreckage.
Investigators
are looking at all possible causes of the crash, a senior aide to the prime
minister said Wednesday. Their initial assessment indicates it probably wasn't
an act of terrorism.
Renfe's
spokesman said he did not know how many crew members were aboard the train when
it crashed. Normally there would be at least five crew members on a train like
that, he said.
Firefighters,
police and psychologists were at the scene, the Galicia government said in a
statement. In Twitter posts, officials said blood donations
were needed as a result of the crash.
Spain's
train infrastructure authority said it was investigating.
The
crash occurred shortly before a large annual celebration was set to start in
Santiago de Compostela, a popular tourist destination. Local officials canceled
festivities planned for Wednesday night and Thursday.
UK
Foreign Secretary William Hague said his thoughts were with the victims and
their families. One British citizen was injured in the accident, he said.
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