Driver of derailed Spanish train charged with 79 counts of homicide

Madrid, July 29:The driver of a Spanish high-speed train that derailed was charged with 79 counts of homicide and released pending trial, after appearing before a judge on Sunday evening.

Francisco Garzon, 52, had been under arrest since Thursday, a day after the worst train crash in Spain's history.

He is suspected of driving the train too fast through a tight curve on the outskirts of the northwestern Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela.

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.