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Spain was to hold a memorial service on Monday for the 79 people who died in the country’s worst rail disaster in decades, hours after the driver of the train was freed pending trial on charges of reckless homicide.
The ceremony takes place at 7pm in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, a world-famous pilgrimage city in northwestern Spain where the high-speed train derailed.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, several ministers and the King’s children Prince Felipe and Infanta Elena will attend.
At 8.41pm on Wednesday the eight-carriage, high-speed train crumpled and caught fire after slamming into a concrete wall. The impact was so strong that one of the carriages was thrown several metres over an embankment.

The death toll rose to 79 after one injured person - a woman from the United States - died on Sunday. Seventy people remain in hospital, with 22 in critical condition.
The train driver, Francisco Garzon, 52, appeared to take the train too fast through a tight curve. He had been under arrest since Thursday.
Examining Magistrate Luis Alaez formally charged Garzon with “79 counts of homicide and numerous offences of bodily harm, all of them committed through professional recklessness,” the court said in a statement on Sunday night.
In a closed-door hearing, Garzon admitted taking the curve too fast, blaming it on a momentary lapse, according to media reports.
Among conditions of his release, Garzon was ordered to surrender his passport and check in regularly with the court.
None of the parties in the case, which include state train operator Renfe, state railway firm Adif and two insurance companies, had asked for Garzon to be jailed pending trial, and he was not seen as a flight risk, the court statement said.
Garzon has worked for Renfe for 30 years, 10 as a driver. His father also worked for the service and he grew up in Renfe-owned housing in northwestern Spain.
Neither lawyers nor members of Garzon’s family could be reached for comment.
The investigation will also look at whether the train, the tracks or safety systems were at fault.
The Alvia train involved in the accident, one of three types of high-speed service that run in Spain, received a full maintenance check on the morning of the journey, the head of Renfe said, and security systems were in good shape.
The Alvia trains run both on traditional tracks, where drivers must heed warning systems to reduce speed, and on high-speed tracks where a more sophisticated security system will automatically slow down trains that are going too fast.
At the section of the track where the accident happened, it was up to the driver to respond to prompts to slow down.
The city of Santiago was meant to be celebrating the yearly festival of St. James on July 25, with thousands of Christian pilgrims arriving after walking the famous Camino de Santiago trail.
A week of concerts and other cultural events was cancelled after the train crash on the eve of the festival. On Sunday, black ribbons of mourning hung on the empty stages that had been set up.
At the cathedral gates, along with flowers and candles commemorating the dead, some people left walking sticks from their journeys and others placed shells, the symbol of St. James and badge of honour for the pilgrims who complete the journey.


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A big black crape in memory of the victims of a derailed train is seen on Quintana square in Santiago de Compostela. Photo: EPA

Wreckage of the crashed train. Photo: AP

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A demonstrator holds a sign with a black ribbon hanging from it in memory of the victims of the train crash in Santiago de Compostela. Photo: Reuters

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Rescuers work at the site where the train crashed. Photo: Xinhua

A woman looks up at flowers placed on the bridge over the railway where the train derailed. Photo: EPA

Relatives of one of the victims of the train crash comfort each other. Photo: Reuters

Spain in mourning after Galicia rail disaster claims 78 lives 

Rail workers inspect the tracks at the site of a train crash near Santiago de Compostela. Photo: Reuters

A local resident and a policeman help a survivor after he was rescued from the crumpled mess of carriages just outside the Santiago de Compostela station.Photo: Xinhua

A crane removes one of the eight derailed carriages (left); Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy (centre) and other officials visit the crash site yesterday. The train had come from Madrid. Photo: AFP

An aerial view of Spain's worst train crash since 1944. Photo: AFP

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoyand other officials visit the crash site yesterday. The train had come from Madrid. Photo: EPA

Driver faces probe after 80 killed in Spain train crash

The train was travelling from Madrid to Ferrol on the Galician coast when it derailed. Photo: Xinhua

A wounded victim sits next to wreckage as rescue workers continue searching for victims. Photo: Reuters

A crane removes a derailed train's car at the site of a train accident near the city of Santiago de Compostela on Thursday. Photo: AFP 

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy (centre), Public Works Minister Ana Pastor (right) and Galicia's Regional President Alberto Nunez Feijoo (left) visit the scene. Photo: EPA

A train travelling from Madrid to Ferrol which was derailed close to Santiago de Compostela, Galicia. Photo: EPA

Rescue workers pull victims from a train crash near Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain. Photo: Reuters

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Spain was to hold a memorial service on Monday for the 79 people who died in the country’s worst rail disaster in decades, hours after the driver of the train was freed pending trial on charges of reckless homicide.


Spain train crash driver charged with 79 counts of reckless homicide

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Train driver freed pending trial

Train driver freed pending trial