Excessive speed may have been the “most probable” cause of the deadly train collision in Spain on Friday morning.
The incident claimed the lives of the train’s Portuguese driver, two Spaniards and a US citizen.
The train was operated by Portuguese state-run company Comboios de Portugal which runs joint services with Spanish rail operator Renfe.
The planned journey was from Vigo in northwest Spain to Porto, but the train, run by Comboios de Portugal, derailed on approach to the small town of O Porriño in Galicia and crashed into a pylon. The first three carriages came off the tracks.
Town mayor Eva Garcia told reporters on Saturday: “We are reviewing the possible causes of the accident and the most probable is excessive speed.”
She added that the investigation has not yet finished and it would be only then that the finding would be made public.
The train’s black box has been recovered and forms part of that investigation.
Spanish officials reported that the head of Comboios de Portugal said that the train had been overhauled completely in May and was in “perfect condition”.
Authorities in Galicia said that the train conductor was one of the two Spaniards who died in the Friday morning accident.
In addition, some 47 passengers suffered injuries. Shortly after the crash, 42 were described as suffering "light injuries" while seven were in a "serious condition". There has been no further public update on their situations.
