Spanish Transport Minister Refuses to Resign After Deadly High-Speed Rail Collision
Óscar Puente faces calls to step down following a crash that killed at least 69 people, stating his priority is to resolve the issue.
Spain's transport minister, Óscar Puente, announced Friday he will not resign in the wake of a catastrophic high-speed rail collision that claimed at least 69 lives. Puente stated at a news conference in Madrid that his immediate duty is to address the tragedy, not to discuss his position.
"My duty right now is not to talk about whether I should remain in my position, but to resolve the problem," Puente said. He added that he had "nothing to hide" and reiterated the government's commitment to fully investigate the disaster, emphasizing that many unanswered questions remain.
Calls for Puente's resignation have emerged from political opponents, a trade union, and demonstrators who protested outside the transport ministry. The conservative People's Party has joined these calls, following an earlier demand from the CSIF trade union.
The collision occurred Wednesday morning near the town of Urda in central Toledo province when a state-operated Renfe high-speed train crashed into the back of a stationary train operated by the Iryo company. Dozens were injured in the incident.
A preliminary report released Thursday indicated that the Renfe train was traveling at speeds between 160 km/h (99.4 mph) and 200 km/h at the time of impact, causing its front carriage to become deeply embedded in the rear of the stationary train. This crash was one of the worst rail disasters in modern European history and Spain's most severe since 2013.
This incident follows a similar tragedy in January on the same Madrid-Seville route, which resulted in 46 fatalities in Adamuz, southern Spain. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez commented Friday that public trust in Spain's high-speed rail network has been eroded and described the recurrence of such events within a year as "unacceptable."
Puente previously stated that a computer failure around 08:30 on Wednesday morning led to the temporary halt of six moving trains, including the two that subsequently collided. Leaked audio recordings published by Spanish media appear to show communications between a control center and train drivers shortly before the crash. These recordings suggest that one high-speed train received clearance to proceed despite another train being stalled approximately 25 kilometers (15 miles) ahead on the track.
Puente had described the decision to allow trains to move again without speed restrictions as "inexplicable." The leaking of these audio recordings has drawn criticism from some politicians, who have labeled the act as "despicable." Others, like Irene Montero of the Podemos party, have argued that responsibility should not be placed solely on individual workers, noting that train drivers and experts have long warned about the liberalization of the railway sector.
Puente stated Friday that he would not use any worker as a scapegoat but affirmed that the tragedy raises numerous questions that require thorough examination. "If the investigation shows there is human error, we will act in consequence of that," he said.
Spain is currently observing three days of national mourning as victims' families and survivors grapple with the circumstances of the crash. Puente expressed his "immense pain and immense sadness for the victims and their relatives," but affirmed, "I cannot let this pain paralyze me though. We have to find solutions to this problem."