Utah Teen Survived Spain Train Crash

Stephen Ward, 18, was a Train Crash Survivor
and discusses incident with CNN reporter

A coruna, SPAIN - Stephen Ward is an 18yr old survivor of the Spanish Train Wreck that happened in Santiago de Compostela.  "I've have nothing that is going to be permanent or is going to not heal on its own"  "I have contacted my family, they are very happy to hear from me." As he his interviewed, CNN shows recaps of the incident caught on surveillance cameras.  

Ward was asked by CNN journalist that he "blacked out"  He said "I thought it was a dream for a couple of minutes...."  He said the train suddenly left the rails as "luggages fell off the racks."  When he realized the catastrophe of the incident after hearing the screaming and seeing the smoke, he said he had a "scary realization" that "this was real."  Ward described that people were trying to get people out as fast as they can.  He said he suffered a concussion and did at one point felt the train as moving too fast.  It was recently reported that the train was traveling at speeds of 180 mph. 


Ward was also known to battle and conquer a prior form of cancer called Berkus Lymphoma, a rare form of cancer is an intestinal form of cancer.  He says he has conquered that and glad to survive another brush with death. Ward stated he was in Spain on a service fellowship mission trip on missions to represent the Mormon church.  He said despite the incident he is thankful he is alive and wants to continue to serve missions in Spain for about 2 years. 

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Spain Train Wreck Cause 80 People Killed

SPAIN (CNN) - A train ride to the city of Santiago de Compostela kills 80 people in northwestern Spain.  There were 77 found dead at the scene, and three that died in the hospital.  In the brink of a moment,  the train derailed the curve and flipped on the side, about 7 kilometers from the Trains Station. The train was reaching speeds of 250 Kilometers an hour, skidding and speeding into a concrete wall causing a collision between the train and a car, and creating a burst of flames, There were parts of the train wreckage in black smoke. Authorities questioned the speed of the train, that is was going to fast, and the weight of the cars caused the train to derail off of the tracks.

The train conductor is being probed by authorities according to Galicia spokeswoman of the Supreme Court Maria Padro Rios. Deputy of State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf reported that their was one U.S. Citizen dead and 5 injured. There were 80 passengers tat are confirmed dead as 178 injured hospitalized.  There were 32 adults and four children that are in critical condition.

The Prime Minister was scrutinized by the media after sending a public message that seemed unpersonalized was previously sent to Gansu, China.   ''I would like to express my deepest condolences for the loss of human lives and the material damage from the earthquake that has occurred in Gansu has caused," the note said.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy visited the scene and victims of the crash.  Rajoy reported that their are still unidentified victims of the crash and that two investigations are in progress to extract full detail on what happened.   Galicia's Regional Government head, Alberto Nunez Feijoo announced seven days of mourning from families afflicted by the tragedy. 

Spains's King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia visited the Hospital Clinico of Santiago de Compostela around 12:00 p.m. Spaniard time.  The royal families spokesperson told CNN, that all events scheduled during that day were cancelled out of respect of the incident that occurred.  The king sent an open message  stating "the deepest love and all the solidarity from the Royal Family, and from the whole nation."

President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy conveyed his sadness to the tragedy.

Santiago de Compostela is a popular tourist destination.  It is ranked one of the #1 places to visit in spain aside from the popular Madrid and Barcelona.  The area features many historical sites and cathedral architecture.  It is recognized as one of the most famous places for pilgrimages in Spain.

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