Spain’s Minister of Transport Óscar Puente announced his resignation after two deadly train crashes occurred in a single year, including one last week that killed 69 people .
“I made the decision about my future in the first few minutes after the tragedy,” Puente told lawmakers in Madrid. “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.”
Puente’s announcement arrives just three weeks before the country’s general elections, which the minister said he would not be standing as a candidate.
His resignation comes six days after two high-speed trains collided after what authorities say was a combination of human and computer errors. One train, operated by Spain’s national rail service, crashed into a stationary train at high speed, despite a safety system shutdown that had halted all rail traffic along the line.
“There was a red signal prohibiting movement, yet the train was authorized to proceed,” Puente said last week. “It is a decision made under inexplicable circumstances.”
Last week’s crash was preceded by another serious rail accident in January, where two high-speed trains collided head-on in the town of Adamuz, killing at least 41 people. At the time, it was the deadliest crash Spain had seen in more than a decade.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
