THE driver of a Spanish high-speed train that derailed, killing at least 80 people, has been named as a suspect in one of Europe's worst rail accidents.
A court in Santiago de Compostela ordered police to question Francisco Jose Garzon, 52, who had admitted to driving at 190 kilometres per hour on a curve where the speed limit was 80km/h.
The train carrying 218 passengers from Madrid to Ferrol derailed and split apart late on Wednesday at Angrois, about 4km from the regional capital, Santiago de Compostela.
Officials confirmed that the number of dead had risen from 78 to 80. Ninety-five injured people remained in hospital. Thirty-six of them, including four children, were in critical condition.
The injured included several citizens of the US and the UK, the two countries' embassies said.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who visited the accident scene and the injured in hospital, said both the government and the judiciary were investigating the causes of the tragedy.
The driver had boasted on Facebook that he sometimes defied controls by driving trains at 200km/h, the daily El Pais reported.
Garzon, who has 30 years of experience, suffered only minor injuries.
The stretch of track on which the train was travelling did not have an automatic cab signalling system, which would have stopped it in the event of excessive speed, representatives of the engine drivers' union said.
They also criticised the route of the train, which was based on a conventional - instead of high-speed - rail line and included a steep curve.
The rail management company said the train's security systems were adequate.
The train was running five minutes late, but the drivers' union said there was no pressure on staff to speed up in such cases.
The train had been inspected the day before the accident, sources at the rail company Renfe said.
People fearing for their loved ones are still waiting for about half of the fatalities to be identified. Some of the bodies were so disfigured that identification was difficult.
All of the carriages left the rails, the rear engine caught fire, and one of the wagons was hurled 15 metres. Wagons that were ripped open or smashed on top of each other were scattered around.
"We heard a noise, enormous, like never before. We went down there and saw that the convoy had split in two," said a witness.
Local residents rushed to the site, bringing water and blankets and smashing wagon windows with stones to help those trapped inside.
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