At least 77 people dead after train Derails in Spain (WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT)
At least 77 people were killed last
night when an express train derailed in northern Spain, with one British
citizen confirmed among the injured.
Other passengers were still trapped in the wreckage and there were fears that the death toll could rise as rescue teams continued their grim task of trying to free survivors hours after the accident.
Many of those on board were thought to be travelling to a major religious festival in the nearby city of Santiago de Compostela, site of a Catholic pilgrimage.
There were 247 passengers on the high-speed train. It was the first fatal accident on Spain’s new High Velocity network.
Early speculation about the cause of the crash centred on excessive speed on a curve.
Those at the scene said bodies covered in sheets lay beside the track as casualties were taken by ambulance to a number of hospitals in the city.
All 13 coaches were derailed and several were almost totally destroyed. Fire broke out in at least one coach and in the engine.
Other passengers were still trapped in the wreckage and there were fears that the death toll could rise as rescue teams continued their grim task of trying to free survivors hours after the accident.
Many of those on board were thought to be travelling to a major religious festival in the nearby city of Santiago de Compostela, site of a Catholic pilgrimage.
There were 247 passengers on the high-speed train. It was the first fatal accident on Spain’s new High Velocity network.
Early speculation about the cause of the crash centred on excessive speed on a curve.
Those at the scene said bodies covered in sheets lay beside the track as casualties were taken by ambulance to a number of hospitals in the city.
All 13 coaches were derailed and several were almost totally destroyed. Fire broke out in at least one coach and in the engine.
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