Spanish train death tall staggering close to 80 feared dead

The number of people who died in the tragic north-western spain train derail accident is soaring. Close to 80 souls of passengers are said to have been taken and more than 100 injured in the Galicia region according to officials.

This follows reports that a high speed moving train had its cabins come off the tracks nears the city of Santiago de Compostela. According to survivors and eye witnesses the train was travelling at more than twice the speed limit around a curve when all carriages derailed mortally wounding dozens on spot and leaving many in a terrible condition. 

No official statement has been released so far but by yesterday terrorism had been ruled out. "We are moving away from the hypothesis of sabotage or attack," one unnamed official said.

Analysts say it is the worst train accident in Spain in 40 years. Spain's last major rail disaster was in 1972 when 77 people were killed in a derailment in Andalusia in the south.

According to railway firm Renfe, the train came off the tracks on a bend about 3 or 4km (2-2.5 miles) from Santiago de Compostela station at 20:41 local time (18:41 GMT).

The train was on the express route between Madrid and the ship-building city of Ferrol on the Galician coast.

The actual cause of accident is being investigated by a judge in collaboration with Renfe and the track operating company Adif.

Meanwhile dozens of rescue workers including at least 300 police officers have continued to search for survivors in the wreckage. 73 bodies had been recovered from the accident site and while five people had died either on the way to or in hospital by press time, said the spokeswoman for Galicia's Supreme Court early on Thursday. The judiciary in Spain is solely responsible for registering deaths and offering death certificates.

Bodies covered with blankets next to the tracks were seen on site, as emergency crews searched the wreckage. The number of Renfe employees on board is not known as the company has remained taciturn on the issue.

Rescue workers recovering bodies

More than 145 passengers were receiving treatment for injuries sustained, a health official told reporters on Thursday morning. Several people flocked hospitals to search for the bodies of their dead while others were seen donating blood.

Below is a summary of Spanish train accidents:

·         August 2006: Inter-city train derails in Villada, in the province of Palencia, killing six people and injuring dozens more.

·         July 2006: At least 43 people killed in a metro train crash in the eastern Spanish city of Valencia.

·         June 2003: At least 19 people killed and some 40 injured in a head-on train collision near Chinchilla in Albacete province.

·         March 2002: Two express trains collide outside Tarragona, in Catalonia, killing four people and injuring more than 80.

The scene of accident is near the site believed to be housing the remains of st. James one Jesus disciples. The derailment happened on the eve of Santiago de Compostela's main annual festival where thousands of Christian flock the city in honour of Saint James. The Thursday festivities have been suspended following the tragedy according to the city's tourism board.