National mourning in Spain after 41 people were killed in a train accident
Started Spain Three days from National mourning, Tuesday, after the Two trains collided, which killed at least 41 people on Sunday evening, in Andalusia, southern Spain, with the royal family visiting the accident site in support of the families of the victims and survivors.
Search operations continue among the wreckage of the two trains, part of which has turned into piles of scrap metal, raising fears of an increase in the number of victims.
The Andalusian regional government announced on Tuesday that the number of victims "It rose to 41"explaining that 39 people, including four children, are still receiving treatment in hospitals.
She added that 13 people, all adults, are still receiving intensive care.
The final tally
The King of Spain, Felipe VI, and his wife Letizia, wearing dark clothes, went to the site of the tragedy, where they shook hands with members of the rescue teams, according to what journalists from Agence France-Presse reported.
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The visit of the royal family marked the first time since Sunday evening that the media had the possibility of seeing the accident site directly, after images coming from the place had previously been provided exclusively through the Civil Guard.
The royal couple will then go to Cordoba, which is 35 kilometers away, to visit the Queen Sofia Hospital, which is treating some of those injured in the accident.
Search for missing persons
The authorities have warned that the toll will The victims of this tragedy may rise, as rescue teams are still searching for any bodies that may be stuck inside the trains.
The government agency responsible for monitoring the disaster (the Criminal Investigation Department) announced on Monday evening that the authorities had received 43 reports of missing persons from relatives of the victims. The catastrophe, on Monday evening, was that the total number of victims would be identified "categorically" during "The next 24 to 48 hours"
This means that the final toll of victims will be known no later than tomorrow, Wednesday.
Time of the accident
The accident occurred at 19.45 (18.45 GMT) near Adamuth, about 200 kilometers north of Malaga, when a train belonging to a company swerved. "Erio" (A private railway company) heading to Madrid, with about 300 passengers on board, deviated from its path towards the parallel railway, and collided with a train belonging to…"Renfei"the Spanish national railway company, was traveling in the opposite direction towards the city of Huelva in southern Spain.
The two high-speed trains were traveling at speeds of more than 200 km/h at the time of the collision, carrying a total of more than 500 passengers.
Causes of the accident
Discussion is currently focused on the causes of this accident. "Very strange"said Transport Minister Oscar Puente.
The collision occurred on a straight stretch of railway, on a recently renovated section, despite three trains passing through the same location. "20 minutes ago" Don "Notify anyone of the slightest rail defect"As the minister stated on Tuesday.
The minister explained that the investigation must determine whether the break in part of the railway, which appears in some photos, is "Cause or effect" Due to the derailment of the Erio train that led to the collision.
Absence of human error
The president of the Renfe company, Alvaro Fernandez Heredia, confirmed on Monday that what was certain at this stage was that the speed of the trains was not in doubt, and that "Human error is practically excluded".
He concluded that the malfunction may have been caused by "A problem with the Erio train cars or infrastructure"
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska ruled out the hypothesis of an act of sabotage.
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