The closure of the parliamentary investigation into the management of the 29 October 2024 dana disaster in Valencia has drawn sharp criticism from victims' associations, which called the process deeply unsatisfactory and lacking transparency. At the commission's final session in Les Corts Valencianes, representatives of three victims' groups, invited by PSPV and Compromís, witnessed the PP and Vox conclusions win approval.
Rosa Álvarez, president of the Asociación Víctimas Mortales dana del 29 de octubre, called the outcome a "shame" and questioned Carlos Mazón's continued presence in Les Corts. She accused him of disrespecting victims and their families, particularly during a parliamentary control session where opposition members criticized his responses to references to his actions on the day of the disaster.
Álvarez also criticized the commission for not summoning former councillor Salomé Pradas and regional secretary Emilio Argüeso, whom she described as basic to explaining the emergency response. She called the inquiry a "fake investigation" from the outset and argued that its conclusions offered neither the answers nor the accountability families had sought. The parliamentary inquiry is separate from the criminal investigation led by the Catarroja court, where Pradas and Argüeso have been under investigation over alleged negligent homicides and injuries.
The judicial proceedings have focused particularly on the timing of the mass mobile alert, known as ES-Alert. The alert was sent at 20:11 on 29 October; one reconstruction reported that 155 people had already died by then. The Valencia disaster's overall death toll is 233. Investigating judge Nuria Ruiz Tobarra has examined whether the alert should have gone out earlier. In a ruling concerning Pradas, she described the indications of negligent conduct as overwhelming. Separately, the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de la Comunitat Valenciana rejected an effort to bring Mazón formally into the case, saying the proposed allegations rested on suspicions and conjecture and did not establish sufficient indications of a crime.
During the commission session, Álvarez accused President Juanfran Pérez Llorca and his government of shifting responsibility to the national level, citing former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and broader political disputes. She also said Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the national People's Party, was responsible for Mazón's continued role in the regional parliament. Political leaders, she insisted, should focus on victims' needs, referring to 230 people in her remarks.
Mazón's participation in court proceedings related to a case involving the alleged illegal acquisition of property was another point of contention. Álvarez said his presence threatened what she called the victims' only relatively safe space and asked who would ensure affected families' physical and mental well-being. The concerns come as victims' organizations continue to demand accountability and support for those coping with the disaster's consequences.
Álvarez also addressed journalist Maribel Vilaplana, who had dinner with Mazón on the day of the disaster, urging her not to assume the role of a victim or wear mourning clothes at commission sessions. Álvarez said the grief belonged to those directly affected by the tragedy. In testimony to the Les Corts commission on 23 February 2026, SOS Desaparecidos spokesperson Sonia Fuster said: "Families continue to weep tears of mud. Families continue to rebuild our lives around an irreparable absence."
The parliamentary controversy has unfolded alongside the judicial investigation, leaving two distinct processes examining responsibility for the response. The closure of the Les Corts inquiry has intensified victims' criticism that political divisions and the absence of basic testimony have limited its ability to answer their questions. Their basic demand remains an explanation of how emergency decisions were made, and why the ES-Alert was not sent earlier.
