Spain's transport minister to step down after train crash tragedy kills 69

Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente has stepped down just six days after a horrific double train crash that killed almost 70 people. Mr Puente delivered his resignation this evening despite having repeatedly dismissed such a move in recent days. The announcement came at the conclusion of his appearance before the parliamentary committee in Madrid, where he had been summoned to address last week's high-speed rail disaster near the town of Urda, south of the capital. The crash on October 28 claimed 69 lives and left more than 200 people injured, making it one of Europe's worst railway catastrophes. The disaster collision occurred when a high-speed service, run by state operator Renfe, ploughed into the rear of a stationary Iryo train on the Madrid-Andalusia line. Authorities have attributed the collision to a combination of human and computer failures, with a safety system malfunction having brought all traffic on the route to a halt. Mr Puente told lawmakers last week: "There was a red signal prohibiting movement, yet the train was authorised to proceed. "It is a decision made under inexplicable circumstances." Addressing Congress this evening, the ex-minister said he had resolved to go almost immediately after the Urda tragedy. He said: "I made the decision about my future in the first few minutes after the tragedy. "A transport minister in a country like Spain cannot remain in office after two accidents of this severity in less than a year, however different they may be and regardless of whether or not they bear direct responsibility for them." He described his departure as "a matter of political dignity, consistency and political empathy". LATEST DEVELOPMENTS Mr Puente has not indicated precisely when he will vacate the role. The outgoing minister also confirmed he would not seek a seat in Spain's early general election on November 29. The election was called by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez amid corruption scandals, a housing affordability row and poor municipal election results for his socialist PSOE party. On the night of the train crash, police clashed with hundreds of demonstrators who gathered outside the transport ministry headquarters, some brandishing placards calling for Mr Sánchez himself to step down. Trade unions have pushed back against attempts to attribute the disaster primarily to individual mistakes. Raquel Ayllon, a union leader at state-owned infrastructure manager Adif, argued last Friday that controllers were being forced to work in challenging conditions. Ms Ayllon told Spanish public broadcaster TVE: "Human error is being criticised and questioned very quickly, while people are not really focusing on the central issue: the failure of the safety system." Follow related topics: