A train crashed in northwestern Spain on Wednesday, killing at least 78 people and injuring more than 140, according to local officials and reported by CNN.
The crash can be seen in security footage as the express train derails as it goes around a curve, hitting a wall of concrete, causing cars to flip onto their sides as they skid on the tracks. Flames then erupted from a train car and another car broke in half.
Rescue crews, as well as the other passengers, began pulling bodies out of the train through the broken windows. They also pried open the doors to try to help injured and trapped people.
At least 73 people died at the scene and others at the hospital, Maria Pardo Rios, a spokeswoman for the Galicia regional Supreme Court, said. Judges in Spain usually record deaths that occur outside of hospitals.
Ninety-five people are still hospitalized, according to the local government's Twitter feed. Thirty-two adults and four children are still in critical condition.
Five Americans were injured in the crash, according to a U.S. State Department official, though the U.S. Embassy in Madrid is still trying to determine the exact number.
"At this time, we have not received any reports of U.S. citizen deaths, the official said.
Luis G. Moreno, the Charge d'affaires at the embassy, said they are in touch with the families of some injured American citizens.
"We are deeply shocked by the news of last night's train crash in Galicia," Moreno said. "Our hearts and prayers are with the friends and families of the victims."
The train was traveling to the town of Ferrol in northwest Spain when it derailed at approximately 8:41 p.m., according to the railway.
The driver of the train is being questioned by police and is under formal investigation, according to Rios.
"He is not being charged by a judge at the moment - it is all at a police level," she said.
The driver suffered minor injuries and told police he had been going too fast when he entered the turn, according to TVE.
The train had undergone a routine inspection that morning, according to Julio Gomez-Pomar, the president of Renfe, the company that owns the train.
"The train did not have an operating problem," he said. "The maintenance and control record of the train was perfect."
The Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, viewed the crash scene.
"We want to establish what happened and find out what exactly were the causes of this serious rail accident," Rajoy said.
News coverage of the crash, including footage of the moment of derailment.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
