Black box may hold key to Spanish train disaster

Police will soon begin extracting information from the “black box” of a train that crashed last week, a Spanish court official said yesterday, potentially making clear why the driver failed to brake in time to stop the train from hurtling into a dangerous curve.

Francisco Garzon Amo faces multiple counts of negligent homicide for the country’s worst train accident in decades. The investigation has increasingly focused on him and his failure to brake, with a witness saying he told him seconds after the crash that he was going fast and tried to stop, but couldn’t.killing 79 people

The black box could clear up whether there was a mechanical or technical failure. Experts will start examining the black box today under the instruction of Judge Luis Alaez. Alaez charged Garzon on Sunday, but allowed him to leave custody without bail. He was driven from the court in a police car after dark, but it was not clear where he was taken.

Several Spanish newspapers, including leading daily El Pais, reported yesterday that the driver acknowledged to the judge that the train was travelling too fast, but that he briefly stopped paying attention. A court spokeswoman said she could not comment on details of the testimony.

The spokeswoman said that before taking the driver’s testimony, officials carried out checks on calls and messages made from the man’s mobile phone. She was speaking on condition of anonymity in keeping with court policy.

At least one press photograph showed the man talking on a mobile phone shortly after the crash. Several news media reported Garzon told railway control in a call that he had been going too fast.

The crash has left a pall over the city of Santiago de Compostela, an important Catholic religious site that had been preparing for a feast celebrating Spain’s patron saint. Shrines and regional flags with black mourning ribbons have dotted the area.

Spain’s royal family and leading politicians were to attend a sombre Mass yesterday in homage to the victims killed and injured. Crown heir Prince Felipe, his sister Princess Elena and Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy were among those scheduled to attend the evening ceremony in the ancient cathedral.

Many families of victims were also expected to attend the Mass, which is to be televised nationally. The ceremony is open to the public and a giant screen is to be set up in one of the squares outside the cathedral, where thousands of pilgrims, many with backpacks and walking sticks, traditionally gather on arriving in the city.