A train driver suspected of causing Spain’s deadliest train disaster for 70 years has refused to answer police questions, Spanish officials have confirmed.
Francisco Jose Garzon Amo, 52, who is under armed guard in hospital, is to be questioned over suspected reckless driving following the devastating crash which left 78 people dead and almost 170 injured.
Investigators are looking into possible failings by the driver after the Madrid to Ferrol service derailed on Wednesday night as it approached the city of Santiago de Compostela.
Authorities have located the train’s so-called “black box” which is expected to shed further light on the disaster’s cause.
A Spanish police spokesman confirmed the driver had refused to answer questions and he is now expected to questioned by a judge.
Jaime Iglesias, police chief of Spain’s northwest Galicia region, said Amo would be questioned “as a suspect for a crime linked to the cause of the accident” and described the alleged offence as “recklessness”.
Police said the number of dead, yesterday thought to be 80, has been reduced to 78 as forensic science units identify remains.
Some 72 of those killed in the catastrophe have now been formally identified, while DNA results for the remaining six are expected in the coming days.
The revised death toll came as forensic scientists matched body parts at a makeshift morgue set up in a sports arena.
One Briton has been confirmed by the Foreign Office to be among the 168 injured passengers, while 32 badly injured people are still believed to be in a critical condition.
Early indications suggested the train was traveling at around 118mph more than twice the 50mph speed limit when it crashed while heading into a curve.