Andalusia suspends new government ceremony after deadly wildfire in Los Gallardos

The Andalusian government has postponed the swearing-in of its new executive, originally scheduled for Friday, July 10, after a wildfire in Los Gallardos, Almería, killed 11 people and injured eight, four of them seriously. The ceremony, set to take place at the Palacio de San Telmo in Seville, was called off by regional president Juanma Moreno in response to the tragedy.

What happened

The fire, declared in the Almería municipality of Los Gallardos, caused the highest death toll from a single wildfire in Andalusia in recent years. The new government, a coalition between the People's Party (PP) and Vox—the first such coalition in the region—was to be sworn in at 10:00 am and hold its first meeting afterward to begin drafting the 2027 budget. Instead, the focus shifted to the emergency response Source: lavanguardia.

Reaction

Moreno expressed his "deep sorrow" to the victims' families and described the event as a "tragedy" and "terrible news" in a message on X. He stated, "With a shriveled soul and broken with pain" Source: abces. The government announced that a new date for the swearing-in would be communicated later Source: infobae.

The suspension highlights the severity of the incident, which has left the region in mourning. The new Andalusian government includes three vice-presidents: Manuel Gavira (Vox) as second vice-president, alongside two from the PP Source: infobae.