A spokesman for the local archdiocese has announced that a memorial service for the 78 dead in the train crash will be held at the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela on Monday evening. The American victim of the crash has been named.
"We expect the service to take place on Monday at 7:00 pm [1700 GMT] in the cathedral," the spokesman said.
Three days after the crash, 81 people remain in hospital and 31 of these are in a serious condition, after the worst railway accident in Spain since 1944.
Flags have been flying at half-mast countrywide as the people of Spain mourn for the dead.
In Spain, the dead are normally buried one or two days after passing away. Officials confirmed on Friday that funerals were being organized for the victims as quickly as possible. However, their "priority remains attending to the injured, supporting the families and identifying the victims".
While the cause of the accident is still unconfirmed, officials suspect that the train was traveling at twice the speed limit when it jumped the tracks, slamming into a concrete wall. As reported by Digital Journal earlier on Saturday, police have detained the train driver, Francisco José Garzón Amo, on suspicion of reckless homicide.
American victim named:
The American victim has now been named in the media. According to Catholic Church officials from the diocese where she worked, a Virginia woman, 47-year-old Ana María Córdoba, was on her way to visit her son, who had just completed a Catholic pilgrimage, "Way of St. James," known in Spanish as "El Camino de Santiago." This pilgrimage was featured recently in a film, "The Way," starring Martin Sheen.
Córdoba was the only American killed in the crash and she was traveling with her husband Philippe and her daughter, who are both in a stable condition in hospital.
Reportedly there were at least five Americans injured in the train crash. 18-year-old Stephen Ward, a Mormon missionary from Bountiful, Utah told the media that the train lifted off the tracks "like a roller coaster" before smashing into the concrete wall. According to Ward, an information screen for passengers showed the train's speed as 194 kph (121 mph) moments before the crash.
To the source: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/355319
On Wednesday, a high-speed Renfe train, travelling between Madrid and Ferrol, derailed outside Santiago de Compostela in
northern Spain, leaving at least 78 people dead and 130 injured.
The rail disaster is one of the worst in Spanish history and authorities have said that the death toll could rise.
Reportedly the train had 240 passengers on board. As the incident occurred, 13 cars
derailed – at least four of which caught fire.
Initially there were rumors of a terrorist attack, but the Ministry of the
Interior has now ruled out that possibility.
A government spokeswoman told Reuters that Spanish Prime
Minister Mariano Rajoy is due to visit the scene of the accident,
"In the face of a tragedy such as just happened in Santiago de
Compostela on the eve of its big day, I can only express my
deepest sympathy as a Spaniard and a Galician," Rajoy said in
a statement.
La Voz de Galicia reported that Sergio, a witness to the accident said, "I did not
suspect an attack of any sort. When the train took the curve, I
had the sensation that it was traveling too fast, and then it
derailed."
It has since been established that the train was traveling at
twice the speed limit. Alvia trains can reach a speed of 250
kilometers per hour while traveling on high speed rails, though
they typically travel at 220 kilometers per hour over normal
lines.
According to the Spanish news agency EFE, citing
sources close to the investigation, the driver of the train has since admitted to speeding when he hit the bend in the tracks.
Renfe, the company which operates the train, confirms that this is the most serious train crash to happen in Spain
in over 40 years and it is the first time a high-speed
train has derailed in the country.
Witnesses at the scene said that bodies were scattered around the scene of the crash, covered in
blankets, as emergency services worked to try and rescue people
still trapped in the body of the train.
"Neighbors in the area tell Spanish and European media they
heard 'an explosion' at the time of derailment", said
Actualidad.
"The wounded are being transferred to nearby hospitals in
Galicia from the Clinical Hospital in Santiago as it has exceeded
capacity", said Cadena SER radio station.
La Voz de Galicia was relaying accounts from the train's
passengers, which claim that one of the cars went up into the air
and literally flew over the wall that runs along the train
tracks, landing on a road.
RTVE has reported that the region's most important
holiday, the Dia de Santiago - which was due to be held on Thursday - has been
cancelled.
Update: The moment of the crash caught on CCTV:
