Spanish King and Queen comfort the victims of the Santiago de Compostela train crash



Queen Sofîa and King Juan Carlos in the university Hospital of Santiago de Compostela.



One day after the horrific train accident in Santiago de Compostela King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofìa of Spain travelled to the capital of the province of Galicia to meet the families of the victims and injured passengers.

When they visited the university hospital their Majesties were accompanied by the head of the provincial government (Xunta de Galicia,) Alberto Nuñez Feijoo.


The King and Queen thank the hospital staff for their efforts to save lives.

Don Juan Carlos expressed his support for the injured and the families of the victims: "The whole of Spain is aware of this [tragedy] and really all Spaniards join the pain of the families of the dead and we hope that the injured will recover little by little. We are grateful for the volunteers, professionals and blood donors for how they behaved and for the community spirit they have shown. We thank all of you."

"All I can say is that  at this time, all Spaniards join the victims, the families and friends of the victims."

Before finishing their visit to Santiago de Compostela, the King and Queen also visited the Hospital La Rosaleda, where its director, Rafael Silva, accompanied them on a brief visit to some of the injured and their families.

Hospital officials said 141 people were injured, and 36 remained in critical condition, among them four children. The high-speed train crash killed at least 80 people.

The Alvia 730 series train started from Madrid and was scheduled to end its journey at El Ferrol, about 95 kilometres north of Santiago de Compostela.

It is the deadliest rail disaster in Spain since 1944.