Press urges in-depth crash probe

Leading newspapers in Spain are demanding an in-depth investigation into the Valencia underground train crash in which at least 41 people died.

The tragedy dominates front pages throughout the country, with a number of reports highlighting safety concerns over the line on which it occurred.

A front-page headline in El Mundo declares: "41 deaths on Valencia Metro's controversial Line One".

The paper says that although the Valencia authorities were quick to blame excessive speed for causing the accident, a trade union had "denounced the deterioration in the state of the line and the trains".

The report said there had been another crash on the line last September, and the authorities were planning to modernise it.

"A tragedy which demands an in-depth investigation", argues an El Mundo editorial.

System under scrutiny

"A troubled Metro line" is the stark headline in Valencia's La Voz.

"The poor conditions of Line One have been denounced on more than one occasion by the unions and the users of the Valencia Metro," La Voz writes.

"It could have been human error, but it's almost certain that the condition of the carriages had something to do with it."

"Sooner or later, the responsibility [for the crash] will need to be established."

The biggest metro accident in Spain's history occurred in a city which has witnessed spectacular development of its infrastructure and image El Pais

Madrid's El Pais demands an "exhaustive investigation" into the overall running of the Valencia Metro as well as the causes of the crash itself.

The influential daily says last September's crash - in which 35 people were injured - was blamed by the Metro management on a variety of reasons including "the position of the sun".

It argues that only a serious investigation will help avoid another accident and "a repeat of the unsatisfactory explanations".

"The biggest metro accident in Spain's history occurred in a city which has witnessed spectacular development of its infrastructure and image. This incident should force the regional institutions and mayor's office to think again."

According to ABC, "the city of Valencia again suffered a tragic 3 July", pointing to another disaster on the same date in 1997 when 18 people died in a gas pipeline escape.

"Once again, the whole of Spain has reacted with offers of help to Valencia and its people, showing widespread solidarity with those afflicted by the latest drama to hit one of our regions."

A Valencia paper, Las Provincias, says it will take a special effort for the city to attempt to overcome its grief and prepare for the imminent visit of Pope Benedict XVI.

"In the next few days, Valencian society will need to overcome the pain and turmoil from this collective misfortune in order to prepare for the joyful landmark visit of the Pope."

BBC Monitoring selects and translates news from radio, television, press, news agencies and the internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages. It is based in Caversham, UK, and has several bureaux abroad.