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High-speed train hits stopped train in central Spain, killing dozens

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 29 outlets across the spectrum.

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

Derailed train carriages on embankment with people gathered among wreckage and rail tracks
Image via NBC NewsHow images are chosenReport this image

A high-speed train ran into the back of a stopped train near Urda in Toledo province, central Spain, on Wednesday, derailing two cars. The regional government of Castilla La Mancha said at least 68 people were killed. Earlier reports gave 30 and then 64 as the toll rose. The two trains, run by state-owned Renfe and private Iryo, were heading from Madrid to Seville. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has promised a thorough investigation. The cause had not been established in the reporting, and one early report cited a signaling issue. Most reports describe it as the second deadly high-speed rail accident in Spain this year.

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 ran into the back of a stopped train near Urda in Toledo province, central Spain, on Wednesday, derailing two cars.

    Across the spectrumReported byLeft4Center4Right2Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Al Jazeera English, Bloomberg, The New York Times, The Guardian
    Center
    Deutsche Welle, France 24, PBS NewsHour, BBC News
    Right
    The Washington Times, Washington Examiner
    Far Right
    Just the News, Townhall

  2. At least 68 people were killed, according to the regional government of Castilla La Mancha.

    Reported byLeft3Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Bloomberg, The New York Times, The Guardian
    Center
    PBS NewsHour

  3. Earlier reports, as the toll rose, gave 30 and then 64 deaths.

    Reported byCenter2Right2Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    Deutsche Welle, France 24
    Right
    The Washington Times, Washington Examiner
    Far Right
    Just the News, Townhall

  4. The trains, run by state-owned Renfe and private Iryo, were heading from Madrid to Seville.

    Reported byLeft1Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Center
    PBS NewsHour
    Right
    Washington Examiner

  5. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has promised a thorough investigation.

    One outletBloomberg· Left

  6. A regional spokeswoman said the cause was not known, and one early report cited a signaling issue.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    Washington Examiner
    Far Right
    Townhall

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • The death toll in the crash.

    Right-side outlets reported at least 30 dead; Deutsche Welle and France 24 reported at least 64; Bloomberg, PBS, The New York Times and The Guardian reported at least 68.

  • The crash was the second major train accident in Spain this year.

    AP-based reports, France 24 and The Guardian call it the second; Townhall says it was the fourth major train incident in the country this year, citing a list of earlier incidents.

  • The cause of the crash.

    A regional spokeswoman said the cause was not known; Townhall reports initial reporting that one train rear-ended the other after a signaling issue.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report a high-speed train striking a stopped train in central Spain. Left and center headlines report the rising toll, a probe or survivor accounts, while right headlines mostly keep the earlier toll of 30 and stress the second major accident this year.

  • the left

    9 outlets

    Left headlines lead with the confirmed death toll of at least 68, a pledge of an investigation, or survivor testimony, and the Guardian headline centers passenger accounts.

    ‘It all happened in a split-second’: survivors recount details of Spain’s second deadly train crash in 10 months
    The GuardianLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    8 outlets

    Center headlines mostly use dozens or a rising count and stress the second accident this year; the BBC headline is a video piece that gives no toll.

    Spain: Dozens killed after one high-speed train slams into another
    France 24CenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    12 outlets

    Right headlines mostly keep the early toll of 30; two are AP wire reports, and Townhall adds massive and a count of earlier incidents.

    At Least 30 Dead in Sensational language“Massive”The adjective adds drama beyond the reported facts, which the other outlets do not use.More neutral: High-Speed Train CollisionDisagree with this highlight? High-Speed Train Collision in Toledo, Spain
    TownhallFar RightAll right-leaning headlines

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.

  • Left3

    Horror CrashQuestions were raisedcasts doubt over

  • Center1

    fly off the tracks

  • Right2

    shreddingMassive

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    shreddingMore neutral: damaging

    A dramatic verb describes the damage more vividly than the facts require, when derailing and damaged carriages already convey it.

    …collided with another that had stopped on the tracks, derailing both trains and shredding at least two cabins.

    Used byFox News (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    Horror CrashMore neutral: Crash

    The word horror adds drama beyond the reported facts of the collision and deaths.

    At Least 30 Killed as High Speed-Trains Collide in Horror Crash

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    MassiveMore neutral: High-Speed Train Collision

    The adjective adds drama beyond the reported facts, which the other outlets do not use.

    At Least 30 Dead in Massive High-Speed Train Collision in Toledo, Spain

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    fly off the tracksMore neutral: derail

    The phrase is more vivid than the facts require, when derailed carriages are already reported.

    …two high-speed trains collided in Spain on Wednesday, causing carriages to fly off the tracks and overturn.

    Used byStraight Arrow News (Center)

Show 2 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Vague attribution

    Questions were raisedMore neutral: Specify who raised the concerns and what they were

    The sentence does not say who raised the questions or what specific concerns they had.

    Questions were raised before Toledo crash over rail safety in a country where train travel has…

    Used byThe Guardian (Left)

  • Loaded verb

    casts doubt overMore neutral: raises questions about

    The headline presents the network as in doubt before the cause of the crash has been confirmed.

    Second fatal train collision this year casts doubt over Spain’s high-speed rail network

    Used byThe Guardian (Left)

Words quoted from someone else (1)Hide the quoted words

Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.

  • Sensational language

    Quoted

    InexplicableMore neutral: Transport minister's decision to allow the restart

    The headline takes one official's word and makes it the frame for the crash, presenting the judgement in the outlet's own headline.

    ‘Inexplicable’ High-Speed Train Crash Leaves Dozens Dead

    Quoted byThe Daily Wire (Far Right)

    These are Óscar Puente’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

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

9 outlets

Leads with

  • death toll of at least 68
  • survivor accounts
  • Sánchez pledge of a probe

Leaves out

  • Early reports citing a signaling issue

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

See the 10 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

8 outlets

Leads with

  • rising death toll
  • second crash this year
  • rescue and recovery work

Leaves out

  • Early reports citing a signaling issue

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

See the 8 headlines from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

12 outlets

Leads with

  • early toll of 30
  • second major accident this year
  • history of train incidents

Leaves out

  • Toll of 64 or 68 reported by other sides

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

See the 13 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

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

    18 hr 33 min later

    Its first report, Oct 28, 5:26 AM EDT

  • Center

    First to report

    Sky News, Oct 27, 10:54 AM EDT

  • Right

    19 hr 6 min later

    Its first report, Oct 28, 6:00 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Sky NewsCenterOct 27, 10:54 AM EDT
  2. France 24CenterOct 28, 5:01 AM EDT
  3. Deutsche WelleCenterOct 28, 5:17 AM EDT
  4. Al Jazeera EnglishLeftOct 28, 5:26 AM EDT
  5. The GuardianLeftOct 28, 5:31 AM EDT
  6. CBS NewsLeftOct 28, 5:31 AM EDT
  7. CNBCCenterOct 28, 5:50 AM EDT
  8. NBC NewsLeftOct 28, 5:50 AM EDT
  9. New York PostRightOct 28, 6:00 AM EDT
  10. Financial TimesCenterOct 28, 6:06 AM EDT
  11. NPRLeftOct 28, 6:09 AM EDT
  12. ABC NewsLeftOct 28, 6:16 AM EDT
  13. Fox NewsFar RightOct 28, 7:08 AM EDT
  14. BBC NewsCenterOct 28, 7:13 AM EDT
  15. Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 28, 7:17 AM EDT
  16. The Daily WireFar RightOct 28, 7:18 AM EDT
  17. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 28, 7:30 AM EDT
  18. The New York TimesLeftOct 28, 7:40 AM EDT
  19. The Washington TimesRightOct 28, 7:45 AM EDT
  20. BloombergLeftOct 28, 7:59 AM EDT
  21. Washington ExaminerRightOct 28, 8:26 AM EDT
  22. TownhallFar RightOct 28, 8:30 AM EDT
  23. The Epoch TimesFar RightOct 28, 8:46 AM EDT
  24. Straight Arrow NewsCenterOct 28, 9:34 AM EDT
  25. One America NewsFar RightOct 28, 10:14 AM EDT
  26. The Western JournalFar RightOct 28, 11:30 AM EDT
  27. PBS NewsHourCenterOct 28, 11:41 AM EDT
  28. The Daily CallerFar RightOct 28, 12:23 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out. Just the News gave only a date, so it is not placed.

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