An express train derailed as it hurtled around a
curve in northwestern Spain on Wednesday, killing 77 people and injuring more
than 100, officials said.
At least 73 people died at the scene, and four
others died while hospitalized, said MarÃa Pardo RÃos, 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 said 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.
Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is on his
way to the scene and is expected to visit the injured in hospital, Spanish TV
network TVE reported Thursday.
Rajoy, who is from the area, expressed his
condolences to those affected by the accident, it said.
The state railway, Renfe, said the train crashed
on a curve several kilometers from the train station in the city of Santiago de
Compostela.
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.
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 newspaper
reported.
"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 and sent photos to CNN's
iReport.
"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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