Spain's Transport Minister, Óscar Puente, has resigned from his post and withdrawn from upcoming legislative elections, following mounting political pressure after a deadly high-speed train collision near Madrid.
Puente announced his resignation on Tuesday evening during a congressional session in Congress, where he was testifying regarding the circumstances surrounding the 28 October disaster near the town of Urda. The crash occurred when a state-operated Renfe high-speed train collided with the rear of a stationary train operated by the private company Iryo, resulting in at least 69 deaths and dozens of injuries.
"A transport minister in a country like Spain cannot remain in office after two accidents of this seriousness in less than a year," Puente stated, also referencing a fatal railway accident in January in Andalusia. He noted that he had decided to step down immediately following the tragedy, which ranks as one of Europe's worst modern rail disasters and Spain's deadliest since 2013.
The disaster occurred after a computer failure involving the automatic signalling system halted traffic on the affected stretch of track. Leaked audio recordings published by Spanish media indicate that a control centre operator cleared the moving Renfe train to proceed at normal speed under a back-up system, despite prior communications indicating the Iryo train remained stationary ahead.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that authorities are committed to investigating all details of the crash. Puente's resignation delivers a significant blow to the Socialist-led government as it prepares for an early general election scheduled for 29 November.
