PARIS —
An investigation is underway into one of Europe's worst rail disasters, following a train crash in Spain's Galicia region that killed at least 77 people. The crash adds to mounting worries for Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who is to visit the crash site on Thursday.
Spain's airwaves are filled with the latest details on the train crash that occurred Wednesday night outside the city of Santiago de Compostela on the eve of a major religious holiday there.
TV stations showed images of twisted metal and bodies. The crash, one of the worst in Europe's history, brings reminders of another Spanish rail disaster -- the 2004 bombing of Madrid commuter trains by Islamists terrorists that killed 191 people.
But this time, authorities suspect the Santiago crash was an accident.
Investigators have yet to determine the exact cause of the crash, but Spain's El Pais newspaper reports the train had been travelling at more than twice the speed limit when it derailed, several kilometers from the Santiago station.
Interviewed on Euro news, an El Pais photographer who witnessed the crash said the train had derailed as it turned a corner. He said parts of the train were unrecognizable and there were lots of dead and injured.
Train Accident in Spain Kills Dozens
1/15A passenger train passes by a wrecked train engine at the site of the train crash in Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, July 26, 2013.
An investigation is under way into one of Europe's worst rail disasters following a train crash in Spain's Galicia region. At least 78 people died after the train jackknifed into a concrete wall a few kilometers before the station in Santiago de Compostela.
2/15Groom Mahmoud Mansour, 26, and his bride Maral Malka, 23, celebrate with friends and family before their wedding in Mahmoud's family house in Jaffa, south of Tel Aviv, Aug. 17, 2014.
An investigation is under way into one of Europe's worst rail disasters following a train crash in Spain's Galicia region. At least 78 people died after the train jackknifed into a concrete wall a few kilometers before the station in Santiago de Compostela.
3/15Rail workers clear the tracks next to a wrecked train engine at the site of the train crash in Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, July 26, 2013.
An investigation is under way into one of Europe's worst rail disasters following a train crash in Spain's Galicia region. At least 78 people died after the train jackknifed into a concrete wall a few kilometers before the station in Santiago de Compostela.
4/15A passenger train passes by a wrecked train engine at the site of the train crash in Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, July 26, 2013.
An investigation is under way into one of Europe's worst rail disasters following a train crash in Spain's Galicia region. At least 78 people died after the train jackknifed into a concrete wall a few kilometers before the station in Santiago de Compostela.
5/15A crane removes a carriage from the tracks at the site of a train crash near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, July 25, 2013.
An investigation is under way into one of Europe's worst rail disasters following a train crash in Spain's Galicia region. At least 78 people died after the train jackknifed into a concrete wall a few kilometers before the station in Santiago de Compostela.
6/15A relative of one of the victims of the train crash reacts in Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, July 25, 2013.
An investigation is under way into one of Europe's worst rail disasters following a train crash in Spain's Galicia region. At least 78 people died after the train jackknifed into a concrete wall a few kilometers before the station in Santiago de Compostela.
7/15Victims receive help after a train crashed near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, July 24, 2013.
An investigation is under way into one of Europe's worst rail disasters following a train crash in Spain's Galicia region. At least 78 people died after the train jackknifed into a concrete wall a few kilometers before the station in Santiago de Compostela.
8/15Rescue workers pull victims from a train crash near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, July 24, 2013.
An investigation is under way into one of Europe's worst rail disasters following a train crash in Spain's Galicia region. At least 78 people died after the train jackknifed into a concrete wall a few kilometers before the station in Santiago de Compostela.
9/15Emergency personnel respond to a train derailment in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, July 24, 2013.
An investigation is under way into one of Europe's worst rail disasters following a train crash in Spain's Galicia region. At least 78 people died after the train jackknifed into a concrete wall a few kilometers before the station in Santiago de Compostela.
10/15Emergency personnel treat survivors after a train derailment in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, July 24, 2013.
An investigation is under way into one of Europe's worst rail disasters following a train crash in Spain's Galicia region. At least 78 people died after the train jackknifed into a concrete wall a few kilometers before the station in Santiago de Compostela.
11/15Emergency personnel respond to a train derailment in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, July 24, 2013.
An investigation is under way into one of Europe's worst rail disasters following a train crash in Spain's Galicia region. At least 78 people died after the train jackknifed into a concrete wall a few kilometers before the station in Santiago de Compostela.
12/15Місто Фергюсон.
Багато американців обурились тим, як поліція міста повелась у перші дні протестів. Проти мітингувальників виставили мілітаризовані підрозділи поліції, а до журналістів застосували силу.
An investigation is under way into one of Europe's worst rail disasters following a train crash in Spain's Galicia region. At least 78 people died after the train jackknifed into a concrete wall a few kilometers before the station in Santiago de Compostela.
13/15Rescue workers pull victims from a train crash near Santiago de Compostela, Spain, July 24, 2013.
An investigation is under way into one of Europe's worst rail disasters following a train crash in Spain's Galicia region. At least 78 people died after the train jackknifed into a concrete wall a few kilometers before the station in Santiago de Compostela.
14/15Rescue workers and officials are seen amongst the wreckage of the train crash near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, early July 25, 2013.
An investigation is under way into one of Europe's worst rail disasters following a train crash in Spain's Galicia region. At least 78 people died after the train jackknifed into a concrete wall a few kilometers before the station in Santiago de Compostela.
15/15Relatives of the victims involved in the train accident react at a victims' information point in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, July 25, 2013.
An investigation is under way into one of Europe's worst rail disasters following a train crash in Spain's Galicia region. At least 78 people died after the train jackknifed into a concrete wall a few kilometers before the station in Santiago de Compostela.
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The crash is yet another setback for the conservative government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, which is struggling to revive the country's struggling economy and turn around high unemployment rates.
Rajoy is also fighting intensifying corruption allegations targeting him and other members of his center-right Popular Party.
The Santiago crash follows another major European rail disaster earlier this month. Investigators blame a mechanical error for a train crash in neighbouring France that killed six people and injured dozens of others.
