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Spain Santiago de Compostela rail-crash 'black box' opened Spain train driver 'on phone' at time of deadly crash
(about 2 hours later)
Spanish police have opened the "black-box" data recorder of the train that derailed last week, killing 79 people. The train driver in last week's crash in Spain was talking on the phone when it derailed, investigators say.
Crash investigators are sifting data on the train's speed, and communication involving the driver. The train was travelling at 153km/h (95mph) at the time, investigators at the Court of Justice of Galicia said.
They are trying to establish if the train had a fault, or if the driver was speeding before Wednesday's crash near Santiago de Compostela. Francisco Jose Garzon Amo was speaking to members of staff at the state-owned railway company, Renfe, they added.
The driver, Francisco Jose Garzon Amo, is suspected of reckless homicide, but he has not yet been formally charged. Crash investigators had opened the train's "black-box" data recorder to find the cause of the crash, which left 79 people dead.
Mr Garzon was released from custody on Sunday, but he remains under court supervision. Moments before the accident the train was travelling at a speed of 192km/h (119mph), the court said in a statement.
Officials said information from the data recorders will be passed on to the judge leading investigations into the case. Investigators say the brakes were activated shortly before the crash.
On Monday, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, along with Prince Felipe and his wife Princess Letizia, joined bereaved relatives for a Mass for the 79 victims in Santiago de Compostela. The speed limit on the sharp bend where the train derailed was set at 80km/h (49mph).
City officials had been preparing for the religious feast of St James of Compostela - Spain's patron saint - but cancelled the festivities after the crash. "Minutes before the train came off the tracks he received a call on his work phone to get indications on the route he had to take to get to Ferrol. From the content of the conversation and background noise it seems that the driver consulted a map or paper document," a court statement said.
Archbishop Julian Barrio told the congregation: "Families who have lost your loved ones, from the first moment we have had you in our hearts, as have Galicia and Spain, and so many people beyond our borders who have asked me to pass on their condolences." Mr Garzon is suspected of reckless homicide, but he has not yet been formally charged.
Officials say 70 people remain in hospital, 22 of them in a critical condition. He was released from custody in Santiago de Compostela, where the crash occurred, on Sunday but remains under court supervision.
Passport surrendered He must appear before a court once a week and was not allowed to leave Spain without permission.
Mr Garzon, 52, arrived at court in handcuffs on Sunday, his head scarred by an injury he suffered in the crash.
He was questioned behind closed doors for almost two hours by Judge Luis Alaez.
Later, a court statement said he had been released pending further investigations but must appear before a court once a week and was not allowed to leave Spain without permission.
His passport has been surrendered to the judge and his licence to drive a train has been suspended.His passport has been surrendered to the judge and his licence to drive a train has been suspended.
Reports have suggested the train was going at 190km/h (118mph) as the driver took the bend, where the speed limit is just 80km/h. Under Spanish law, his legal status is that he is suspected of being involved in 79 counts of reckless homicide but has not been formally charged.
But officials said he had admitted negligence by being careless when rounding a bend too fast.
All eight carriages of the train careered off the tracks into a concrete wall as they sped around the curve on the express route between Madrid and the port city of Ferrol on the Galician coast.All eight carriages of the train careered off the tracks into a concrete wall as they sped around the curve on the express route between Madrid and the port city of Ferrol on the Galician coast.
The crash was one of the worst rail disasters in Spanish history. On Monday, a mass was held in the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, along with the heir to the Spanish crown, Prince Felipe, and his wife Princess Letizia, joined the grieving families and local residents in the cathedral as the city's archbishop prayed for the dead.