Spain in mourning after Galicia rail disaster claims 78 lives

Near a bend in the track on the outskirts of the Spanish pilgrimage city of Santiago de Compostela lie the twisted, gutted shells of the train carriages.

One is rammed into a concrete siding, another snapped like a branch over the top of a third. Bits of twisted metal from a fourth are scattered nearby.

The train flew off the tracks as it reportedly tore at twice the speed limit around the bend in northwest Spain. At least 78 passengers were killed in the nation's deadliest rail disaster in almost 70 years, while 95 remained in hospital, 36 in critical condition, among them four children.

State railway company Renfe said it was too early to determine the cause but several media outlets said the train carrying 218 passengers and four crew was speeding.

It came off the tracks on a curve at 8.42pm on Wednesday as it was about to enter Santiago de Compostela station in the northwestern region of Galicia.

One of the drivers who was trapped in the cab of the train reportedly told railway officials by radio soon after the crash that the train had taken the curve at 190km/h.