Press review: Spain train crash and the rise of rib remodelling surgery

France 24's press review of 29 October 2026 looked at how European and US newspapers are covering Wednesday's train collision in Spain, which killed dozens of people. The programme also picked up a Guardian report on a cosmetic procedure in which ribs are remodelled, and on how more and more people are choosing it.

The crash in Spain

Spanish dailies El Mundo and El País stress that this is not the first such tragedy, as the previous train accident in Spain was only nine months ago. El País also ran a first-person account by one of its journalists, who happened to be on the train. He had reported on the Adamuz disaster in January and writes that he again felt as if he were living through a nightmare. He also describes a strange calm, and how he and other passengers freed themselves from the last carriage.

The New York Times asked whether there is a safest seat in a train crash. There is a rough consensus that the middle of the train is best. Some experts go further and suggest an aisle seat facing backwards, which would mean less severe whiplash and a smaller chance of being hit by flying objects. They caution, however, that crashes involve too many variables to say for certain. This time the impact came from behind, so the front of the train would have been safer.

According to Democrata, the disaster could damage Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's reputation, with snap elections only a month away. The paper identifies Transport Minister Oscar Puente as the weak link in the government and says he has three options: continuity, resignation or dismissal. He is also criticised for appearing in a comedy video after the previous rail disaster in which he imitated a derailing train.

Rib remodelling

The Guardian reports that rib remodelling surgery is on the rise. The patient's ribs are fractured, then the person must wear a corset almost around the clock for three months, with the aim of achieving a wasp-like waist. People who underwent it describe extreme pain and a feeling of "being hit by a bus". One woman could not sleep comfortably for more than a week. The procedure is still rare, but between 2018 and 2024 there were more than 2,300 patients. The overall complication rate was 3.7 percent, which is quite high for cosmetic procedures.

The review closed with photographs from a new book on the Arctic and Antarctica by polar specialists Sue Flood and Ian Dawson, selected by The Times.