Córdoba train: no vultures, but no ostriches either

The days immediately following a catastrophe like the recent train accident in Spain are delicate. The search for possible fatalities is still underway, and it seems almost too soon to start demanding accountability. But just as there are media outlets eager to delve into the explanations to generate political consequences—the vultures—there may also be ostriches who willfully bury their heads in the sand to avoid seeing the evidence that some protocol failed and allow the event to be framed within the paradigm of the randomness of life. I say this because, alongside the sensational headlines and black backgrounds to express grief, statements like "Investigators are analyzing how the track could have broken at kilometer 318.7 when the renovation was completed in May and the train was inspected four days earlier" are already beginning to emerge.ABC), "The train drivers warned of the deterioration of the rail and asked to reduce the speed in this corridor" (editorial of The reason) or "Let the tragedy be politicized (well)", an article by David Jiménez Torres in The WorldHowever, in The CountryNone of the three subheadings point to anything that could be linked to negligence, insufficient maintenance, or the old practice of turning a blind eye when warned that something isn't working. Perhaps it's unintentional, but the suspicion is that they're already engaging in damage control.

Precisely out of respect for the victims—including those yet to be found—a rigorous and direct investigation of the matter is necessary. And the press must lead the charge. There will be those who will selfishly exploit this—I, for the moment, haven't detected any blatant outrage in the print media—but in this case, it's better to err on the side of caution. voltorism that ofstructness.