The driver of the Spanish train that careered off the tracks, killing 78 people and injuring at least 130 more, told rescuers afterwards that he wanted to die.

When Francisco José Garzón Amo, 52, realised the enormity of the disaster, he told rescue teams: “I have f***ed it up. I want to die.”

Spanish media, citing sources close to the investigation, reported part of a transcript of a conversation with Mr Garzón after the train crashed off the tracks and burst into flames.

The eight-carriage train was derailed, hit a retaining wall and caught fire just outside the pilgrimage city of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain on Wednesday night. It was one of Europe’s worst rail disasters.

El Mundo newspaper, citing sources close to