Conductor in Spain Charged with 79 Train Crash Deaths

07/31/2013

A passenger train passes the train crash near Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain.

Welcome to As It Is, the daily magazine show from VOA Learning English! I’m Mario Ritter.

This week, we get the latest information about the case of Chinese politician Bo Xilai. His fall from power was one of the biggest Chinese political stories in recent years. But first:

“My car came ripped apart from the car next to it…”

Santiago de Compostela, train crash site

We learn about the deadly train accident in Spain’s northwest.

Since the Middle Ages, Christian pilgrims have been coming to the beautiful city of Santiago de Compostela. The city is considered a holy place to Christians from all over Europe and around the world. Santiago de Compostela is said to be the final resting place of Saint James, an early follower of Jesus. Some on the train were planning to attend a festival honoring the saint. The event was to take place the next day.

Reports say the train was traveling too fast. It may have been going more than two times the 80-kilometer-per-hour speed limit when it reached a curve near the city and derailed. Cars struck other cars, sending wreckage and bodies through the air. At least 79 people died. About 140 people were injured.

Video from a security camera shows the train striking a concrete wall next to the track. Then its first car overturns violently. One survivor described the damage this way.