Iranian FM condoles with Spain over train crash

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi extended his condolences to the Spanish government and nation on the death of their beloved ones in the recent train derailment incident in Northwestern Spain. The Iranian foreign minister, in a phone call with his Spanish counterpart José Manuel Garcia-Margallo, conveyed condolences of the Iranian nation and government to the bereaved families of the train accident's victims. The tragic incident happened three kilometers (two miles) from Santiago de Compostela station in the Northwestern region of Galicia on Wednesday. The train was transporting 218 passengers and five crewmembers from Madrid to the ship-building city of Ferrol on the Galician coast. At least 78 passengers were killed and 140 others were injured during the accident. On Thursday, the Galicia region Supreme Court said in a statement that Francisco Jose Garzon, 52, was under investigation as a suspect in the accident, adding that the judge investigating the accident had ordered police to take a statement from him. Official sources said the accident was caused by excessive speed. Garzon reportedly admitted to driving at 190 kilometers per hour on a curve where the speed limit was 80 kilometers per hour. The tragedy is regarded as one of the worst in the history of Spain’s rail network. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy declared three days of mourning following the accident. In 1972, a train derailment in Andalusia in the South left 77 people dead.