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2
Deadly derailment in Spain
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Rescue workers pull victims from a train crash near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, July 24, 2013. REUTERS/Oscar Corral
Rescue workers are seen amongst the wreckage of a train crash near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, early July 25, 2013. (REUTERS/Miguel Vidal)
Rescue workers sift through debris and sort out luggage the morning after a train crash near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain July 25, 2013. (REUTERS/Miguel Vidal)
A crane removes a carriage from the tracks at the site of a train crash near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, July 25, 2013. (REUTERS/Miguel Vidal)
A crane removes a carriage from the tracks at the site of a train crash near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, July 25, 2013. (REUTERS/Miguel Vidal)
A crane removes a carriage from the tracks at the site of a train crash near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, July 25, 2013. (REUTERS/Miguel Vidal)
Rescue workers are seen amongst the wreckage of a train crash near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, early July 25, 2013. (REUTERS/Miguel Vidal)
A crane removes a carriage from the tracks at the site of a train crash near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, July 25, 2013. (REUTERS/Miguel Vidal)
Rescue workers sift through debris and sort out luggage amongst wreckage the morning after a train crash near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, early July 25, 2013. (REUTERS/Miguel Vidal)
An official inspects the train engine amongst the wreckage of a train crash near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, early July 25, 2013. (REUTERS/Eloy Alonso)
Rescue workers and officials are seen amongst the wreckage of a train crash near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, early July 25, 2013. (REUTERS/Miguel Vidal)
Firefighters watch as a crane removes a carriage from the tracks at the site of a train crash near near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, July 25, 2013. (REUTERS/Miguel Vidal)
A Spanish National Police officer checks the personal belongings of a victim amongst the wreckage of a train crash near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, early July 25, 2013. (REUTERS/Eloy Alonso)
Rescue workers stand amongst the wreckage of a train crash near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, July 25, 2013. (REUTERS/Eloy Alonso)
Rescue workers help a victim of a train crash near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, July 24, 2013. At least 56 people died after a train derailed in the outskirts of the northern Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela, the head of Spain’s Galicia region, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, told Television de Galicia. (REUTERS/Xoan A. Soler/Monica Ferreiros/La Voz de Galicia)
Rescue workers carry victims on stretchers after a train crashed near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, July 24, 2013. At least 56 people died after a train derailed in the outskirts of the northern Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela, the head of Spain’s Galicia region, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, told Television de Galicia. (REUTERS/Xoan A. Soler/Monica Ferreiros/La Voz de Galicia)
Victims are helped by rescue workers after a train crashed near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, July 24, 2013. At least 56 people died after a train derailed in the outskirts of the northern Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela, the head of Spain’s Galicia region, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, told Television de Galicia. (REUTERS/Xoan A. Soler/Monica Ferreiros/La Voz de Galicia)
Victims receive help after a train crashed near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, July 24, 2013. At least 56 people died after a train derailed in the outskirts of the northern Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela, the head of Spain’s Galicia region, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, told Television de Galicia. (REUTERS/Xoan A. Soler/Monica Ferreiros/La Voz de Galicia)
Rescue workers pull victims from a train crash near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, July 24, 2013. REUTERS/Oscar Corral
Rescue workers pull victims from a train crash near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, July 24, 2013. REUTERS/Oscar Corral
Rescue workers pull victims from a train crash near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, July 24, 2013. REUTERS/Oscar Corral
Rescue workers pull victims from a train crash near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, July 24, 2013. REUTERS/Oscar Corral
An injured passenger is helped by a policeman after a train crashed near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, July 24, 2013. REUTERS/Oscar Corral
MADRID –
The driver of the Spanish train that derailed last week, killing dozens of passengers, had received three warning signals after taking a phone call minutes before the fatal accident, an examination of the black box showed on Friday.
Ticket inspector Antonio Martin, on the same train, had rung driver Francisco Garzon to discuss what platform the train would use at a station further down the line, the driver told an investigating judge in an earlier hearing.
The train derailed killing 79 people on the outskirts of the ancient northwestern town of Santiago de Compostela last week in one of Spain’s worst rail disasters. Garzon, 52, appeared to take the train too fast through a tight curve.
The driver has been charged with negligent homicide but has been released without bail pending trial.
Garzon took the call at 20:39 local time when the train was going 199 km per hour, details from the black box released on Friday showed. The call lasted less than two minutes and ended 11 seconds before the train came off the rails, the black box details showed.
The driver braked at 20:40 when the train was traveling at 195 km per hour instead of the speed limit of 80 kph on that stretch of track, but it was too late.
Warning signals sounded at 20:39, 20:40 and 20:41, but it was not clear from the black box transcripts released by the court whether they were to reduce speed. Spanish state television said on Friday the first signal indicated a green light on the track.
The investigating judge said on Thursday it was unfortunate that the call was made when it was but it was not sufficient cause to criminally charge the ticket inspector.
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