Photos: 77 killed as train derails in Spain, snaps in two

A high-speed passenger train derailed in north-western Spain, killing at least 77 people and injuring more than 100, reports BBC. 

All eight carriages of the train, which was travelling from Madrid to Ferrol, came off the tracks near the city of Santiago de Compostela on Wednesday night. The train car snapped into two and another car caught fire.

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Rescue efforts continued through the night as workers pulled bodies through the wreckage and the police escorted injured passengers.

The tragedy struck at 8:42 pm (0012 IST) as the train carrying 218 passengers and four staff was about to enter Santiago de Compostela station in the northwestern region of Galicia.

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According to a witness, carriages overturned several times on a bend and came to a halt piled up on each other.

Public television TVE said the train may have derailed because it was speeding at the time of the accident. However, a spokesman for state railway company Renfe said it was too soon to say what caused the accident.

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Residents who lived near the tracks said that they heard a thunderous bang when the train crashed.

"The train had broken in half. Some pieces were on top, some pieces were on the bottom," said Ivette Rubiera Cabrera, another eyewitness.

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Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who was born in Santiago de Compostela, convened an emergency ministerial meeting late on Wednesday. He is due to visit the scene of the accident on Thursday, reports BBC.

"I want to express my affection and solidarity with the victims of the terrible train accident in Santiago," Rajoy said on his Twitter account.

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Firefighters, police and psychologists were at the scene, the Galicia government said in a statement. Investigators are looking at all possible causes of the crash, a senior aide to Spain's prime minister said.

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