The driver of the Spanish train that derailed near Santiago de Compostela after going nearly twice the recommended speed around a bend in the track has been accused of “reckless manslaughter” according to the country’s interior minister.
Jorge Fernández-Díaz said:
“The driver is under custody because what doubt is there that there are rational indications to think that he may be held accountable eventually for what happened,”
The driver Francisco Jose Garzon Amo, who received minor injuries in the crash on Wednesday where 78 people were killed and 130 injured, has been taken to a nearby police station, but has so far refused to answer police inquiries.
Amo has a flawless track record over his many years as a driver, and other train drivers and union members have raised issues with the old section of track where the accident occurred. A large part of the track on the route is modern and has automated braking mechanisms to slow trains that are travelling too fast, however the older segment of track where the accident happened has no such fail-safes.
