Spain mourns train crash victims

Three days of mourning will be held in Valencia, Spain, as investigations continue into a underground train crash which killed at least 41 people.



Two carriages derailed and crashed in a tunnel near Jesus station. Officials say the crash may have been caused by high speed or a collapsing train wheel.

But trade unions say authorities are speculating and it is too early to determine the cause of the accident.

Some 47 people were injured, with 12 remaining in hospital.

Two of those in hospital were reported to be in a "very critical" condition. A pregnant woman was said to be among those seriously injured.

The train driver, who had earlier been said to have been seriously hurt, was later reported to have been killed in the crash.

A judge has begun preparations to take declarations from crash witnesses.

King expected

Prime Minister Jose Rodriquez Zapatero cut short a visit to India to travel to Valencia after Monday's crash.

Officials said he was expected to attend a mass in the city on Tuesday evening.

Spanish King Juan Carlos was also expected to travel to the city.

Regional government spokesman Vincent Rambla said on Monday evening that no final casualty figure was available, because recovering and identifying bodies from amid the wreckage was proving difficult.



Monday had been "one of the saddest days for Valencia", he added.

Special units trained in disaster management were deployed in central Valencia after the crash, and the injured were taken to five hospitals around the city.

Spain's national police service sent five specialist accident investigation officers from Madrid to Valencia to help establish why the train derailed.

Terrorism was quickly ruled out, and local officials and emergency services suggested speeding and defective wheels were likely causes.

The four-carriage train was travelling on Valencia's Number One underground route, close to a junction with another line, and came off the rails between Plaza de Espana and Jesus stations.

The train had passed a safety inspection just one week before the crash, Spain's EFE news agency reported.

Unions say the train line where the accident happened is the oldest in Valencia's metro network.

Last September three underground trains collided in Valencia on the same line, injuring 29 people.

Carriages were busy as the accident occurred shortly after 1300 (1100 GMT) when many would have been heading home for lunch.


The accident comes days before Pope Benedict XVI is due to visit Valencia, with preparations being made for hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to use the city's public transport network.

I´ve got friends in Valencia. They´re all safe and well
fortunately.

Terrible accident...

I went to the University there

In fact I was going today for a conference but I'm just not in the mood now

PANDURITO said:

wasn't it cancelled; considering ?

CHIC0 said:

no
Life goes on.

It seems that the train was going twice the speed recommended at that point. The driver died too so maybe they'll never know what exactly happened.
About the train being old, the metro in Valencia was built in the early 80s so I wouldn't say it was THAT old. It's just the same old story now. Politicians of both sides putting the blame on each other