Spain’s Transport Minister Óscar Puente has resigned six days after a high-speed train collision near Urda killed at least 69 people and injured dozens. He made the announcement on Tuesday evening during a congressional hearing on the crash, south of Madrid.
Puente said he had decided to step down immediately after the 28 October disaster but had kept that decision private. He also said he would withdraw his name from the lists for the early legislative elections. His resignation follows calls from opposition parties and some government allies for him to leave office.
“A transport minister in a country like Spain cannot remain in office after two accidents of this seriousness in less than a year,” Puente told lawmakers, referring also to a deadly crash in Andalusia in January. During the hearing, he outlined new rail safety measures and faced questions from the opposition.
The collision occurred when a state-operated Renfe high-speed train struck the back of a stationary train operated by Iryo. Renfe’s train was carrying 397 passengers, while the Iryo train had 147 on board.
Puente said the trains had been told to move again after an issue with the automatic signalling system had forced trains to stop on the affected stretch. He described the decision to allow them to proceed without speed restrictions as “inexplicable”.
Audio recordings published by Spanish media appear to capture exchanges between train drivers and a control centre shortly before the crash. In one recording, a controller tells the Renfe driver to continue at normal speed using a backup signalling system. In others, the Iryo driver says the train is stationary and cannot be started. The recordings suggest the control centre was told the Iryo train remained stopped as the Renfe train approached.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said authorities will investigate every detail of the tragedy. Spain observed three days of mourning after the crash, described in the report as one of the worst rail disasters in modern European history and the country’s deadliest since 2013.
Sources: BBC News World.