Morocco: Speed cited as cause of derailment, driver detained

Morocco: Speed cited as cause of derailment, driver detained
A man searches a derailed train Tuesday Oct.16, 2018 near Sidi Bouknadel, Morocco. A shuttle train linking the Moroccan capital Rabat to a town further north on the Atlantic coast derailed Tuesday, killing several people and injuring dozens, Moroccan authorities and the state news agency said. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar)

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Morocco’s Royal Prosecutor says excessive speed caused the fatal derailment of a passenger train and the driver has been arrested.

Eight people died and more than 80 were injured when the shuttle between Rabat and a coastal town to the north went off the tracks a week ago.

The prosecutor put the blame on the driver Tuesday, saying the train was traveling at 158 kilometers per hour (98 miles per hour), about twice the speed limit, before the accident.

No reasons for the speeding have been given. The driver is in custody and faces homicide and other charges.

The train wreckage has been cleared and service on the line partially resumed.