July 25, 2013.

Death Toll From Spanish Train Crash Hits 77

Bad news coming, thought Winston. And sure enough following on a gory description of the annihilation of a Eurasian army, with stupendous figures of killed and prisoners, came the announcement that, as from next week, the chocolate ration would be reduced from thirty grams to twenty.

MADRID----Investigators are looking at excess speed on a tight curve as a possible cause of Wednesday's train derailment that killed at least 77 and injured 140 in Spain's worst train tragedy in some four decades, government officials said.

Winston belched again. The gin was wearing off, leaving a deflated feeling. The telescreen----perhaps to celebrate the victory, perhaps to drown the memory of the lost chocolate----crashed into "Oceania, 'tis for thee." You were supposed to stand to attention. However, in his present position he was invisible.

The train carrying 218 passengers crashed and broke up a couple of miles from the station in the northwestern city of Santiago de Compostela, with some cars overturning and one being tossed up on a 15-foot embankment. At least one engine caught fire.

"Oceania, 'tis for thee" gave way to lighter music. Winston walked over to the window, keeping his back to the telescreen. The day was still cold and clear. Somewhere far away a rocket bomb exploded with a dull, reverberating roar. About twenty or thirty of them a week were falling on London at present.

The train derailed on a line operated by state train company Renfe that had been inaugurated about two years ago to connect the region to Madrid. The train was of a type that uses conventional track on some parts of the route and high-speed track on others.