Spain’s transport minister resigns after train crash that killed 69

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.

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 coming general election.

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.