Thirty-four people were killed and more than 20, including a pregnant woman, were injured in an underground train accident in Valencia on Spain's Mediterranean coast yesterday. At least 10 people are reported to be in a critical condition, writes Jane Walker in Madrid.
The accident occurred in the centre of the city shortly after 1pm on Line 1 between Plaza de Espana and Jesús stations.
Early reports suggested that part of the roof in the tunnel had fallen on the tracks derailing and overturning two carriages.
But Mr Luis Felipe Martinez, the government's delegate in Valencia, later denied this. He said it was almost certain that the train had been speeding and that a wheel axle on the leading coach had broken, causing the two following carriages to crash into it.
One of the survivors described how the train suddenly accelerated and began to sway violently before the crash.
He and another man managed to break a window and helped passengers climb on to the tracks.
He said the train was not overcrowded and that the death toll would have been much higher if the accident had occurred at rush hour.
Ambulances and fire engines rushed to the scene and the area was cordoned off.
More than 150 passengers were evacuated and the walking wounded were led along the tracks.
Mayor of Valencia Rita Barbera said all the carriages had been cleared and that rescue services were confident there were no more bodies trapped in the wreckage. She described the accident as "a catastrophe and a tragedy".
The crash occurred five days before Pope Benedict XVI arrives in Valencia on Saturday to say Mass on World Family Day, when more than a million people are expected to crowd into the city.
Officials say the underground railway system, particularly Line 1, will be vital for transporting people to the site of the Mass.
King Juan Carlos sent a message of condolence to the victims and their families. The prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who is on an official visit to India, was immediately informed. He was due to return to Madrid on Wednesday, but is now expected to return earlier.
This is the second major underground crash in Valencia in a year. Last September 35 passengers were injured when three trains collided on the same line as yesterday's crash.
Vicente Rambla, spokesman for the autonomous government of Valencia, last night put the death toll at "between 34 and 36". He contradicted Mayor Barbera, who had said all victims were removed. "Several bodies are still inside the carriages, and until we have been able to clear the wreckage we won't know the exact number of dead."
Line 1 of the Valencia Metro, inaugurated in 1988, is the oldest part of the five-line network of trams and underground trains which is used by 52,000 passengers every day.
There have been complaints from trade unions and some passengers that the line is antiquated and in need of modernisation.
A Workers' Commission union official criticised the government delegate for immediately blaming "human error" and speeding for the accident and described the allegation as " irresponsible".
He said: "It is too soon to speculate until a full investigation has been carried out and the engine's 'black box' properly studied."
Another official, Antonio Soler of the UGT railway workers union, said he could not understand how Mr Martinez could know what had caused the accident without first talking to those involved. The train driver survived the crash, but he was too ill last night to answer questions.
Many Irish people own properties on the Valencia coast, but although the Department of Foreign Affairs said it was unaware of any Irish victims, it was monitoring the situation.
The police said the crash was an accident and there was no question of terrorists being involved.