After two train accidents that left 115 people dead, Spanish Transport Minister resigns

Óscar Puente announced his departure almost a week after an accident that killed 69 people; The minister was also in office during a high-speed train collision in January, which left 46 people dead.

By Editorial g1 — São Paulo

Spain's Transport Minister, Óscar Puente, announced his resignation this Tuesday (3), almost a week after a train accident that left at least 69 people dead.

It was the second serious disaster on the country's railways in less than a year.

According to the news agency France Press (AFP), in addition to leaving the ministry, Puente stated that he will not be a candidate in the legislative elections on November 29th. The announcement was made during a hearing in the committee that represents the Chamber of Deputies until new elections are held.

"I want to inform everyone that not only am I resigning from my position as Minister of Transport, but I am also resigning from being part of the electoral lists," he declared.

Puente explained that a Minister of Transport cannot remain in office after two accidents of this severity in less than a year, even if the cases have different characteristics and there is no direct responsibility for him.

According to the minister, the decision is a matter of "political dignity, coherence and empathy with the victims".

Opposition already asked for the minister’s departure

The opposition had repeatedly called for his departure, but Puente had ruled out the possibility on several occasions.

Close to the president of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, the minister was also in charge of the ministry on January 18, when two high-speed trains collided near Adamuz, in the Andalusia region, in the south of the country. At the time, 46 people died.

Regarding the most recent accident, recorded last Wednesday (28) in the city of Urda, in central Spain, Puente stated that he decided to leave his position in the first few minutes after learning of the tragedy.

Before announcing his resignation, following Tuesday's council of ministers meeting, Puente presented an extraordinary plan to reinforce the safety of high-speed trains. It also announced assistance measures for survivors and families of victims.

What happened?

Last week, a collision between two speeding trains provoked reactions from world leaders and generated commotion around the world.

At least 69 people died and 110 were injured, according to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Of these, 50 remain hospitalized and 15 are in serious condition. Emergency teams were mobilized to treat the victims and remove passengers from the affected carriages.

The accident occurred at around 8:54 am local time (3:54 am Brasília time), near Urda, around 140 km south of Madrid.

All this happened on a section of the high-speed line that connects the Spanish capital to Seville, in the south of the country.

The train from the state-owned company Renfe carried between 393 and 397 passengers, according to information released by authorities. The Iryo train was carrying 147 people, including a baby.