Garzon reportedly told officers he wanted to “die” after the disaster, Spain’s worst railway accident since 1944.

A memorial service will be held at the city’s cathedral tomorrow. Three days of official mourning were declared on Thursday.

Julio Gomez Pomar, president of state rail operator Renfe, said the driver had 30 years’ experience with the company and had worked on the line for more than a year.

The accident occurred on the express route between the capital, Madrid, and the port city of Ferrol on the Galician coast.

Briton Mark Woodward, 38, of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, who was one of 218 passengers on board, is “progressing well” after an operation on serious stomach injuries.

Mr Woodward now lives in Galicia.