Zuma sends condolences to Spain after train crash

President Jacob Zuma sent his condolences on Thursday to Spanish  Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, following a train accident in the northern Spanish region of Galicia.
 

"We reach out to the people of the Kingdom of Spain during this difficult time of sadness and loss," Zuma said on Thursday.
 

"The thoughts of the people of South Africa are with the families and friends of the victims of this tragic accident. We wish those injured in the accident speedy recovery."
 

The train jumped the tracks and sent eight cars crashing into each other just before arriving in the shrine city on the eve of a major Christian religious festival -- killing at least 77 people and injuring more than 140, AP reported on Thursday.
 

Seventy-three people were found dead at the scene of the accident and four died in hospitals, said Maria Pardo Rios, spokeswoman for the Galicia region's main court.
 

At least 141 people were injured, some of them critically, after the eight-carriage train carrying 218 passengers derailed about an hour before sunset on Wednesday night.
 

-Sapa