Spain: high-speed train crash
A deadly train crash occurred in the Spanish region of Andalusia on Sunday when the last few carriages of a high-speed train derailed and were hit by an oncoming train. Forty-two fatalities have been reported so far. The tragedy is also a serious blow to Spain's image as a high-tech railway nation. The national press discusses the failures and the behaviour of politicians.
Don't politicise this tragedy
ABC demands a thorough investigation instead of blind accusations:
“The Adamuz train crash must be investigated by the authorities without politicisation or premature demands for political responsibility to be assumed. ... A repetition of the same mistakes and omissions that prevented citizens from learning or understanding the true causes of the major power outage on 28 April 2025 or how the floods [in Valencia] in October 2024 were handled would be unacceptable. ... The outdated tactics of political interference in technical investigations are reprehensible and only increase public mistrust of the institutions in situations as dramatic as that in Adamuz.”
Not the time or place for mudslinging
La Vanguardia's editor-in-chief Jordi Juan also criticises the political mudslinging after every tragedy:
“In these dramatic circumstances, the first thing we must demand of politicians is that they refrain from exploiting the situation to continue their never-ending confrontation. ... The image of the Spanish and Andalusian heads of government at a joint press conference, where they promised cooperation and mutual institutional loyalty, should be the norm. But since this is not the case, it is worth highlighting. ... The leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal, on the other hand, went off the rails and declared on Sunday evening that he distrusted the actions of the current government because 'nothing works under corruption and lies'.”
Infrastructure neglected in state budget
El Mundo calls for more investments:
“The tragedy in Adamuz is a mirror that presents Spain with a distorted image of itself. Our country, a pioneer in the infrastructure sector and exporter of high-speed trains, has suffered a devastating accident on one of its high-speed lines. ... Investment in railway infrastructure is currently 69 percent below the maximum level before the property bubble. The costs of the welfare state leave little room for manoeuvre. ... Social measures gobble up 56 percent of the budget; transfers to other administrative areas and government debt take up another 24 percent, leaving barely 10 percent for investment in research and development, industry and infrastructure. Perhaps there is no alternative but to focus on the long term and quickly readjust these percentages.”