A wounded victim sits next to a body covered with a blanket after a train crashed near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, July 24, 2013.
Dozens Killed in Train Derailment in Spain
Investigators are trying to determine what caused a train in northern Spain to jump the tracks, killing 77 people and injuring more than 140.
The derailment Wednesday near a station outside the ancient city of Santiago de Compostela is Spain's deadliest train crash since 1972 when a train collided with a bus in southern Spain, killing 80 people.
Emergency workers worked through the night to rescue survivors. Television footage showed smoke rising from the wreckage and bodies covered by blankets alongside the tracks next to the twisted metal of the train's eight cars.
Rescue teams used cranes Thursday to move the carriages from the scene of the derailment.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who was born in Santiago de Compostela, has arrived in his hometown to survey the crash site.
Officials in Santiago de Compostela have cancelled ceremonies planned for Thursday, when Christian pilgrims from around the the world converge on the city to celebrate an annual festival honoring Saint James, the disciple of Jesus, whose remains are said to rest in a shrine.
The region of Galicia where Santiago de Compostela is located has declared seven days of mourning to honor the victims of the crash.
Photo Gallery:
Train Accident in Spain Kills Dozens
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.
The Voice of America provides news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of over 326 million people. Stories with the VOA News byline are the work of multiple VOA journalists and may contain information from wire service reports.
