Descarrila el AVE a la entrada de Santiago pic.twitter.com/rG3HYqdRz8
— Jacobo Vieites Pérez (@jacobovieites) July 24, 2013
Multiple sources are reporting that as many as 35 people have been killed after a horrific 13-carriage train derailment in the Northern Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela that happened at around 9:00 p.m. local time. The train was en route from Madrid to the northern city of Ferrol when the derailment happened.
Here’s what you need to know…
1. Witnesses Heard An Explosion Before the Derailment
Witnesses say 20 people killed after train derails in Galicia, Spain, reports of hearing an explosion #breaking
— Reuters World (@ReutersWorld) July 24, 2013
According to Reuters World, witnesses reported hearing an explosion. The reports of an explosion being heard prior to the derailment were also reported by local radio station Cadena Sar (translated via RTE.ie).
A spokesperson for the company told RT.com said that it was too early to speculate was caused the crash.
Surviving passengers told CNN about the horrific scenes they witnessed:
2. Dozens Are Reported to Have Been Killed
Santiago de Compostela: Bodies at the train derailment in the north-western Galicia region (Xoan A. Soler) pic.twitter.com/HVjxd82HLX
— Kety Shapazian (@KetyDC) July 24, 2013
Information is conflicting right now with some sources reporting as many as 38 people have been killed.
One passenger, Ricardo Montesco, told Cadena Ser radio station:
It was going so quickly … It seems that on a curve the train started to twist, and the wagons piled up one on top of the other.
Local president of regional government, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, told AFP:
The number of dead will not be lower than 35, there are bodies laying on the railway track. It’s a Dante-esque scene.
Accidente de tren en Santiago de Compostela… Al menos 15 muertos. pic.twitter.com/KJoIXJa0oB
— Pablo 19 (@AntonilesPablo) July 24, 2013
3. Another 50 People Have Been Injured
Russia Today is reporting that another 50 some people have been rushed to area hospitals after the crash. The train was carrying 218 passengers and crew at the time of the derailment. Though AFP have tweeted:
#BREAKING: 35 dead, 200 injured in Spain train derailment: official
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) July 24, 2013
4. It Was a High-Speed Train
At least 35 dead & 200 injured as train derails in #Galicia, north-west Spain, official says http://t.co/siQK1VCKeF & pic.twitter.com/swdSuNGlSh
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) July 24, 2013
The train was a high-speed model en route from Madrid to Ferrol on the north west coast of Spain. The crash was confirmed by railway company, Renfe, who operated the train. A spokesman for the company said:
It derailed near the station of Santiago de Compostela but we don’t yet know why.
It was confirmed as happening in the Northern Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela in the Galicia region. The train was around 60 miles away from it’s destination when the crash occurred.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has said he will arrive in the region tomorrow.
5. Early Reports Say That the Train Derailed While Turning a Corner
#PHOTO: Derailed cars at the site of a train accident near the city of Santiago de Compostela, Spain pic.twitter.com/gGmVH19xNE
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) July 24, 2013
According to Cadena SERA, various witnesses have said that the “train was going very fast and when it got to a curve it derailed..”
