Train crash driver before judge as death toll rises
THE driver of the Spanish train that derailed at high speed was put before a judge yesterday for questioning.
Officials are trying to determine to what degree he was responsible for the deaths of 79 people in the smash.
Francisco Garzon, 52, has been under arrest since shortly after Wednesday’s accident on suspicion of reckless homicide, but has yet to be formally charged by a magistrate.
The experienced driver was travelling at more than twice the 80kmh permitted on a curve going into the city of Santiago de Compostela when the train careered off the track and collided with a wall.
The death toll from Spain’s worst train disaster in decades rose to 79 after one injured person died yesterday. Seventy people remain in hospital with injuries from the crash, which crumpled the train and set some carriages on fire. Of those, 22 were in critical condition last night.
After the accident, Garzon spoke with both the train system control centre and emergency dispatchers, his face covered in blood from a head wound. Spanish newspapers have reported that transcripts of those communications show that he recognised he was going too fast.
Spanish interior minister Jorge Fernandez said on Saturday there was sufficient evidence to charge Garzon with reckless homicide.
Garzon, who was released from hospital on Saturday but remains in police custody, arrived at Santiago de Compostela’s main courthouse at 6.15pm yesterday in a police car with darkened windows.
It was not clear how long the closeddoor hearing with the judge would last. Neither lawyers nor members of Garzon’s family could be contacted for comment. The judge will investigate the case and will also look at whether the train, the tracks or the security system that slows down the trains played a part in the accident.
The Alvia train, one of three types of high-speed train services that run in Spain, received a full maintenance check on the morning of the journey, the head of Spain’s state train company RENFE said, and security systems in place were in good shape.
Santiago was meant to be celebrating the yearly festival of St James on July 25, with thousands of Christian pilgrims arriving after walking the famous Camino de Santiago ancient pilgrimage trail.
A week of concerts and other cultural events were cancelled after the train crash on the eve of the saint’s day. Yesterday black ribbons of mourning hung on the empty stages that had been set up.