Valencia government slams PM over 'unequal' aid for Adamuz crash and dana flood victims
Spokesperson Miguel Barrachina claims families of the 2024 flood disaster received only a third of the €216,000 being granted to those affected by the Córdoba rail tragedy
The Valencian regional government has criticised PM Pedro Sánchez for giving the victims of the recent Adamuz train crash triple the aid that the victims of the 2024 'dana' in Valencia received. In the words of spokesperson Miguel Barrachina: "For Sánchez, a Valencia victim is worth a third of any other victim."
After the government council meeting on Friday, Barrachina criticised the prime minister for "speeding up" the processing of this aid in all cases but those concerning the region of Valencia.
"The Valencian victims received about 72,000 euros compared to 210,000 euros for the victims of the train accident," Barrachina said, adding that 82 per cent of the families impacted by the 'dana' are still waiting "for the 500 million euros pending for basic aid".
In recent days, the prime minister has received backlash for his management of the Adamuz train crash aftermath. On Thursday, he didn't attend the funeral mass in Huelva, following the victims' families opposition to the state-organised funeral. Representing the central government was First Deputy Prime Minister María Jesús Montero.
PM Sánchez promises to update the victims of the train crash every step of the way
At the closing event of Mujeres liderando la ONU del siglo XXI', held at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid, the Prime Minister promised the victims that they would receive "answers to their questions" and pledged to improve "everything that needs improving, with consistent support" following the tragedy.
Montero also addressed the issue. "The government will continue its relentless search for the truth. We hope to obtain the results of the investigations as soon as possible, but we will communicate every step as it happens. We are not going to wait until everything is concluded," she said.
Different compensation criteria
Aid for the 'dana' storms came under the civil protection act, which grants affected families 72,000 euros. This figure represents an exceptional increase on the usual 18,000 euros. These payments are classified as 'emergency relief', intended to address a natural disaster in which, in principle, there is no directly responsible party.
By contrast, the Adamuz crash is handled under the system of civil and patrimonial liability. As it involved an accident on state-managed infrastructure (Adif/Renfe), the compulsory passenger insurance scheme applies, along with the direct liability of the administration. The 216,000 euros come from adding the state's direct aid (72,000), an advance of 72,000 from civil liability insurance and additional supplements.
