Date: 26/07/2013

The train which derailed in Spain killing 80 people was travelling at excessive speed, says the country's transport minister. However, Rafael Catala could not confirm what speed the eight-carriage train was travelling at when it hit the bend just outside Santiago de Compostela, in the northwestern region of Galicia. The speed limit at the curved section of track is 80km/h (50mph). But the El Pais newspaper reported that one of the two drivers on board said he was doing 190km/h (118mph) when it jumped the rails. All of the passenger cars and the two engine units were thrown from the tracks. One of the Renfe class S730's middle carriages was thrown several metres through the air, landing upside down on the other side of a wall. El Pais said the tragedy 'could have been avoided' if the train had been using the European Train Control System (ETCS) which stops drivers breaking the speed limit.

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