Police will today question the driver of a train that derailed in Spain, killing at least 80 people, in one of Europe's worst rail disasters.

The driver, named by local media as 52-year-old Francisco Jose Garzon, has remained under police guard in hospital since the crash on Wednesday night.

The eight-carriage train came off the tracks on a bend, hit a wall and caught fire just outside the pilgrimage destination Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain.

It has emerged the train may have been travelling at more than twice the speed limit at the time of the crash.

The train entered the bend at 190 km per hour (120 mph), according to local media reports.

The speed limit on the curve was 80km per hour (50 mph).

Witnesses are reported to have heard Mr Garzon shout into a phone: "I've derailed! What do I do?"

A judge in Santiago de Compostela, capital of the region of Galicia, ordered police to take a statement from the driver.

It was not clear what kind of injuries Mr Garzon - who helped to rescue victims - had suffered.

He was being formally investigated and under police guard but he has not been arrested, the regional supreme court said.

Earlier reports said there was a second driver on the train, but it is believed Mr Garzon was the sole driver.

State train company Renfe said Mr Garzon had been at the firm for 30 years and he had been driving trains for more than a decade.

Meanwhile, medical experts will continue trying to identify 13 of the victims as distraught families continue to wait for news about their loved ones.

The victims of the crash included a US citizen and a Mexican. At least one British citizen and four children were among the 94 people injured.

Video footage from a security camera showed the train, which had 247 people on board, hurtling into a concrete wall at the side of the track.

The impact was so huge one carriage flew several metres into the air and landed on the other side of a concrete barrier.

The Alvia 730 series train was travelling from Madrid to the port city of Ferrol when it crashed about 8.40pm local time - 7.40pm UK time - on Wednesday.

The crash occurred on the eve of a major Christian religious festival honouring St James, the disciple of Jesus whose remains are said to rest in a shrine.

Many of the dead or injured were believed to be Catholic pilgrims converging on the city.

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Spain Train Crash: Driver To Be Questioned
Police investigate the 52-year-old after reports the train was travelling at more than twice the speed limit when it crashed.
6:01am UK, Friday 26 July 2013



Video: Francisco Jose Garzon is still being treated in hospital Enlarge



Robert Fariza was on the train in northern Spain when it crashed. He explains what happened.

Video: Spain Train Crash Survivor's Story Enlarge







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Police will today question the driver of a train that derailed in Spain, killing at least 80 people, in one of Europe's worst rail disasters.

The driver, named by local media as 52-year-old Francisco Jose Garzon, has remained under police guard in hospital since the crash on Wednesday night. Mr Garzon remains in hospital

The eight-carriage train came off the tracks on a bend, hit a wall and caught fire just outside the pilgrimage destination Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain.

It has emerged the train may have been travelling at more than twice the speed limit at the time of the crash.

The train entered the bend at 190 km per hour (120 mph), according to local media reports.

The speed limit on the curve was 80km per hour (50 mph).

Witnesses are reported to have heard Mr Garzon shout into a phone: "I've derailed! What do I do?"

A judge in Santiago de Compostela, capital of the region of Galicia, ordered police to take a statement from the driver.

It was not clear what kind of injuries Mr Garzon - who helped to rescue victims - had suffered.

He was being formally investigated and under police guard but he has not been arrested, the regional supreme court said.

Earlier reports said there was a second driver on the train, but it is believed Mr Garzon was the sole driver.

State train company Renfe said Mr Garzon had been at the firm for 30 years and he had been driving trains for more than a decade.

Meanwhile, medical experts will continue trying to identify 13 of the victims as distraught families continue to wait for news about their loved ones.

The impact was so huge one carriage flew several metres into the air

The victims of the crash included a US citizen and a Mexican. At least one British citizen and four children were among the 94 people injured.

Video footage from a security camera showed the train, which had 247 people on board, hurtling into a concrete wall at the side of the track.

The impact was so huge one carriage flew several metres into the air and landed on the other side of a concrete barrier.

The Alvia 730 series train was travelling from Madrid to the port city of Ferrol when it crashed about 8.40pm local time - 7.40pm UK time - on Wednesday.

The crash occurred on the eve of a major Christian religious festival honouring St James, the disciple of Jesus whose remains are said to rest in a shrine.

Many of the dead or injured were believed to be Catholic pilgrims converging on the city.
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