Spain’s Transport Minister Óscar Puente announced his resignation six days after a high-speed train collision killed at least 69 people. (Foto: Instagram)
Spain’s Transport Minister Óscar Puente resigned Tuesday, Nov. 3, six days after a high-speed train collision that killed at least 69 people. He announced his decision during a session of Congress, saying a transport minister could not remain in office after two accidents of such severity in less than a year.
“A transport minister in a country like Spain cannot stay in office after two accidents of this severity in less than a year,” Puente said.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez thanked Puente for his work and praised his decision to step down. Sánchez said Puente had faced the situation and offered solutions before stepping aside, doing so “out of dignity, of his own free will, and out of respect for the victims and the progressive project.”
The collision occurred on the high-speed rail line connecting Madrid and Andalusia. Emergency services said two cars of an Iryo train derailed and fell down an embankment after being struck by a Renfe train. The crash killed 69 people and injured several others.
Early information indicated that a signaling-system failure may have preceded the collision. Railway safety systems are designed to help manage train traffic and prevent trains from moving when there are obstacles or unsafe conditions on the track. The judicial district based in Orgaz, Toledo, will investigate the crash.
Spain suffered another railway disaster in January, when 46 people died in a crash in Córdoba.
