REPORT: Death toll at Spain train disaster rises to 80

The derailment of a train in the northwestern Spanish region of Galicia has killed 80 people and 94 are still injured, the deputy head of the regional government said on Thursday.              

He also said that among the 94 injured, 35 were in serious condition, including four children.              
This as an official source with knowledge of ongoing investigations told Reuters that the derailment of the train was caused by excessive speed.    

The source could however not confirm at exactly what speed the train was traveling when it hit the bend.                         

Earlier, a spokeswoman for Galicia's Supreme Court told Reuters that one driver of the Spanish train has been put under formal investigation. 
                                                     
The spokeswoman also said emergency workers had stopped looking for bodies on the train.          
Meanwhile, a security camera footage posted on El Pais newspaper website showed the Spanish train entered a sharp bend at high speed then careered off the tracks, smashing into a wall running alongside the rail.                                               

For his part, Spain's Prime minister Mariano Rajoy said he would declare three days of official mourning.                    

"I will sign a decree to declare three days of official mourning in all Spain," Rajoy told journalists after visiting the Santiago de Compostela hospital where most victims were taken.


REUTERS


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