At least 34 killed in Spanish subway train derailment

At least 34 people were killed when a metro train derailed in the eastern Spanish city of Valencia yesterday, the regional government said.

A fire brigade spokesman said earlier that two carriages had come off the rails in a tunnel.

"We are still in the process of identifying the dead, but according to an initial estimate there are more than 30," regional government spokesman Vicente Rambla told reporters, radio Cadena Ser reported.

He said at least 21 people had been injured.

The fire brigade spokesman said rescue services had evacuated all the passengers trapped in the train between the Jesus and Plaza de Espana stations in the city center.

The accident happened as Valencia was filling up with participants at the Catholic Church's fifth World Family Meeting, which is to be attended by Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday and Sunday.