Valencia remembers 43 lives lost in 2006 metro crash, as flood victims unite to demand answers
Twenty years after the Valencia metro derailment killed 43 people, the city held multiple tributes, with victims' families joined by survivors of the 2024 floods in a shared call against institutional neglect.
The commemoration
On the 20th anniversary of the accident, the city paused with a series of tributes. At 8:30 am, Valencian president Juanfran Pérez Llorca led a minute of silence outside the Palau de la Generalitat, joined by the entire regional cabinet. At the same hour, the president of the Provincial Council, Vicente Mompó, placed a floral tribute at the monument to the victims. Later, at noon, Valencia's mayor, María José Catalá, led another minute of silence in front of the city hall, with councillors from all municipal groups in attendance.
A day of collective mourning
At 13:00, Metrovalencia and TRAM d'Alacant halted all trains for one minute, matching the exact moment services were interrupted twenty years ago. The main ceremony, organized by the Association of Victims of the Metro of 3 July (AVM3J), began at the same hour near Jesús station, where the monument of 43 white clocks and seven black ones stands, each clock frozen at 13:03, the time of the derailment. The AVM3J held three minutes of silence, followed by flowers, applause, poetry, and live music. Pau Alabajos performed his song "Línia 1" alongside violinist Laura Navarro, in a version adapted to include the story of the October 2024 floods.
- Valencian president leads minute of silence at Palau de la Generalitat
- Provincial Council president places floral tribute at the monument
- Valencia mayor leads minute of silence outside city hall
- Metrovalencia and TRAM d'Alacant halt all services for one minute
- AVM3J begins main memorial ceremony at the monument near Jesús station
- Exactly 20 years since the derailment; three minutes of silence observed
Two tragedies, one fight
For the first time, the metro victims' association was accompanied by the three main associations of those affected by the dana (the 2024 Valencian floods). Rosa Garrote, current president of AVM3J, described the gathering as "a meeting of new and old travelling companions." She lamented that "20 years later these associations find themselves in a situation so similar to the one we lived through in 2006." Her sister Beatriz Garrote, who led the association from 2008 to 2015, added that they had defeated the official version that the accident was unpredictable and unavoidable, exposing safety failings. "Seeing that now there are other associations, like the dana victims, going through the same situation, outrages us."
Words from the flood survivors
Toñi García, who lost her husband and daughter in the floods, told the gathering that the metro association had been "a benchmark of struggle and an example of dignity, constancy and perseverance." She noted that they "advised us, informed us, warned us" from the very first days after the flood disaster. Rosa Álvarez, president of the 29-O victims' association, said that Valencian society and the media had learned from the earlier tragedy, but "what we don't have is the justice that the victims deserve."
Two decades of pain and accountability
Enric Chulio, the first president of AVM3J, reflected that "we have learned to live with it, but the bitterness does not go away, no matter how much time passes." The families spoke of a long journey through the desert that led to the 2020 court ruling convicting four former directors of Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat (FGV). Yet Rosa Garrote stressed that there had been no political responsibilities or apologies, and the lack of transparency was a common thread with the floods. The parallel was made explicit: "In our case a simple beacon; in the case of the dana, simply sending a warning message. Avoidable tragedies," she said.
