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Spain high-speed train collision kills at least 68 people

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 7 outlets. No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered it yet.

8 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Derailed train cars on embankment with rescue crews and cranes at sunset in rural Spain
Image via TIMEHow images are chosenReport this image

A high-speed train collision in Spain on Wednesday killed at least 68 people, and France 24 reports around 100 more were wounded. It is the country's second fatal high-speed rail crash this year. France 24 reports that authorities have launched an official investigation into the cause. The Guardian reports that three days of mourning have begun and that relatives are giving DNA samples to help identify victims. According to the Associated Press, one train struck another from behind. NPR reports that the crash comes ahead of a national election.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. A high-speed train collision in Spain on Wednesday killed at least 68 people.

    Across the spectrumReported byLeft2Center2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian, NPR
    Center
    France 24, PBS NewsHour

  2. The crash is Spain's second fatal high-speed rail crash this year.

    Across the spectrumReported byLeft2Center2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian, NPR
    Center
    France 24, PBS NewsHour

  3. Authorities have launched an official investigation into the cause of the crash.

    One outletFrance 24· Center

  4. Around 100 more people were wounded.

    One outletFrance 24· Center

  5. Three days of mourning have begun in Spain.

    One outletThe Guardian· Left

Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

  1. One train struck another from behind.

    One outletNPR· Left

  2. The crash comes ahead of Spain's national election.

    One outletNPR· Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report that at least 68 people were killed in Spain's second fatal high-speed rail crash this year. Center coverage stresses rail safety questions, an official investigation and national grief, while left coverage stresses mourning, victim identification and the crash's link to a national election.

  • the left

    4 outlets

    Headlines pair the death toll with mourning or with rail safety concerns, and NPR's ties the crash to the national election; its text is an Associated Press report.

    Spain begins mourning period after deadly train crash
    The GuardianLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    3 outlets

    Headlines lead with questions about rail safety and with the shock and grief that followed, framing the crash as Spain's second deadly rail accident this year.

    Rail safety questioned after Spain suffers second fatal high-speed train crash in a year
    France 24CenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    No coverage yet

    No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left1

    raises questions

  • Center1

    Questions are being raised

  • Right

    Has not covered this story.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Vague attribution

    Questions are being raisedMore neutral: Officials and others have asked about rail safety

    The phrase attributes questions to no named source, which suggests doubt without identifying who raises it.

    Questions are being raised about Spain's rail safety as authorities launch an official investigation…

    Used byFrance 24 (Center)

  • Vague attribution

    raises questionsMore neutral: state the question and who is asking

    The writer is raising the question while pretending someone else did.

    Second tragedy on line in about nine months raises questions about levels of investment in railway maintenance.

    Used byAl Jazeera English (Left)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

4 outlets

Leads with

  • Mourning and victim identification
  • Rail safety concerns
  • Upcoming national election
See the 4 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • TIMELeft

    Spanish Transport Minister Blames Train Crash That Killed 68 on ‘Inexplicable’ Error

    A high-speed train slammed into another Wednesday, killing at least 68 people and injuring dozens in the country’s second deadly rail collision this year.

    Read at TIME (opens in a new tab)
  • Al Jazeera EnglishLeft

    ‘I held this woman in my arms. She died’: Spain mourns train crash victims

    Second tragedy on line in about nine months Vague attribution“raises questions”The writer is raising the question while pretending someone else did.More neutral: state the question and who is askingDisagree with this highlight? about levels of investment in railway maintenance.

    Read at Al Jazeera English (opens in a new tab)
  • NPRLeftAssociated Press report

    Spain reckons with 2nd deadly train crash of the year ahead of national election

    Spain's second high-speed rail disaster this year, a crash in which one train struck another from behind, killing 68 people, has raised fresh concerns about the safety of the country's rail network.

    Read at NPR (opens in a new tab)
  • The GuardianLeft

    Spain begins mourning period after deadly train crash

    Emergency services combed through the wreckage overnight as Civil Guard sets up clinics for relatives to provide DNA samples and help identify victims Spain has begun three days of mourning after a high-speed rail collision – its second this year – killed 68 people and injured …

    Read at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)

From the center

3 outlets

Leads with

  • Questions over rail safety
  • Official investigation
  • National shock and grief

Leaves out

  • Spain's upcoming national election

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 3 headlines from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

0 outlets

No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    7 hr 20 min later

    Its first report, Oct 29, 1:31 AM EDT

  • Center

    First to report

    France 24, Oct 28, 6:11 PM EDT

  • Right

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. France 24CenterOct 28, 6:11 PM EDT
  2. PBS NewsHourCenterOct 28, 6:45 PM EDT
  3. The GuardianLeftOct 29, 1:31 AM EDT
  4. NPRLeftOct 29, 2:10 AM EDT
  5. Deutsche WelleCenterOct 29, 3:22 AM EDT
  6. Al Jazeera EnglishLeftOct 29, 4:20 AM EDT
  7. TIMELeftOct 29, 5:30 AM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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