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Spain’s Transport Minister Resigns After Deadly High-Speed Rail Crash
· Confirmed
In Short: Arabnews and AFP reported that Oscar Puente resigned as Spain's Transport Minister on Tuesday, six days after a high-speed train crash that killed 69 people.
Arabnews and AFP reported that Oscar Puente resigned as Spain's Transport Minister on Tuesday, six days after a high-speed train crash that killed 69 people. The Guardian and LEADERSHIP Newspapers also confirmed Puente's resignation, citing his pledge to work tirelessly to restore confidence in Spain's high-speed rail network.
Arabnews noted that Puente had earlier pledged to work “tirelessly” to restore confidence in the world’s second-largest high-speed rail network, while AFP reported that he had been under mounting pressure from opposition parties and some allies of the government.
The train drivers’ union Semaf, quoted by Arabnews, denounced a worsening of working conditions and the use of “degraded systems,” citing investment in maintenance that has not kept up with the increase in passenger numbers since the 2021 liberalization of Spain’s rail network.
Puente announced his resignation during an appearance before the Permanent Deputation of the Congress of Deputies, the standing committee that represents Spain’s lower house when it is not in full session.
LEADERSHIP Newspapers reported that the collision occurred when a moving train crashed into the rear of a stationary train, triggering one of the deadliest rail disasters in modern European history and Spain’s worst train accident since 2013.
Puente announced an aid package of €30m (£25m) for the families of the dead and the scores of people who were injured in the crash.
Politico.eu reported that Puente had ruled out resigning several times since the crash, but he told lawmakers that a transport minister in a country like Spain cannot remain in office after two accidents of this seriousness in less than a year.
The October 28 crash occurred outside the village of Urda, approximately 130 kilometres south of Madrid, when a state-owned Renfe high-speed train ploughed into the rear of a stationary service operated by private company Iryo.
Puente said he had decided to resign shortly after the Urda tragedy but had delayed the announcement until he had addressed the urgent task of ensuring railway safety in the short term.
Politico.eu reported that Ester Muñoz, the People’s Party parliamentary chief, said that “The resignation comes 116 lives too late,” referencing the lives lost in the two high-profile rail disasters as well as a train driver who died in a separate accident in Catalonia this year.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, a Socialist who had stood by his minister, said on social media that Puente “has faced up to his responsibilities, offered solutions and then stepped aside.” He added that “politicians like him bring dignity to our country.”
Background
Spain's transport minister Oscar Puente resigned following a deadly high-speed rail crash that killed 69 people.
What's confirmed
- Oscar Puente, who had earlier pledged to work “tirelessly” to restore confidence in the world’s second-largest high-speed rail network, also said he was withdrawing from the country’s upcoming general election.
- MADRID: Spain’s transport minister handed in his resignation on Tuesday following a train crash that killed 69 people last week, one of the worst railway disasters in Europe this century.
- Last week’s crash, along with another disaster earlier this year, have overshadowed campaigning for the November 29 ballot, in which Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is trailing in opinion polls.
- Critics say investment in maintenance has not kept up with the increase in passenger numbers since the 2021 liberalization of Spain’s rail network, which allowed private companies to break Renfe’s decades-long monopoly.
- Óscar Puente had been under mounting pressure as opposition parties and some allies of the government called on him to step down Spain's Transport Minister Óscar Puente has resigned - six days after the high-speed train collision in which at least 69 people were killed and dozens injured.
- "A transport minister in a country like Spain cannot remain in office after two accidents of this seriousness in less than a year," he said - a reference to January's crash on the same line which left 46 people dead.
- "A transport minister in a country like Spain cannot continue in office with two accidents of this severity in less than a year," he told lawmakers while announcing his intention to resign.
- "minimize the possibility of human error."
- Puente told Congress that "A transport minister in a country like Spain cannot remain in office after two accidents of this seriousness in less than a year," and he also said he was withdrawing his name from the lists for the early legislative elections.
- Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, a Socialist who had stood by his minister, said on social media that Puente “has faced up to his responsibilities, offered solutions and then stepped aside.” He added that “politicians like him bring dignity to our country.” The collision occurred last Wednesday outside the village of Urda, about 80 miles south of Madrid, near Toledo in central Spain.
What's still developing
- Gov. Bill Lee's office announced Strada's resignation Saturday morning, days after Pike's scheduled execution ended with her being transported to a hospital, where her attorneys say she remains intubated and on a ventilator.
- "Even at 8:53, when the microphone was cut off, we could still hear snoring."
- Lecornu said these curfews would be confined to certain areas of cities, such as areas with “public transport connections, symbolic, emblematic places as well”.
- French prime minister Sébastien Lecornu has asked regional governments in France to put in place “partial curfews” in an effort to contain violent protests.
- The French prime minister said there would be convictions of those arrested, pledging a “massive investigation” to find those who had so far evaded justice. [ What’s behind the violence shaking France, and what comes next?