Spanish transport minister resigns after two deadly high-speed rail accidents this year
Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente has announced his resignation following two major high-speed railway accidents in the country within less than a year, including last week's deadly crash in Urda, Toledo province, which claimed 69 lives and left dozens of others injured, Xinhua reports, citing Spanish public broadcaster RTVE.
Puente announced the decision to Permanent Deputation of Spain's Congress of Deputies, where he had been answering questions about the Oct. 28 accident.
Puente said a minister should not remain in office after two accidents of such severity in less than a year, regardless of their differences or whether he bore direct responsibility.
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. He added he would no longer head the Socialist Workers' Party's (PSOE) candidate list for Valladolid in the general election on Nov. 29.
The Toledo crash came just over nine months after a railway accident in Adamuz in southern Spain which killed 46 people in January. The two disasters along the same high-speed corridor have intensified scrutiny of Spain's railway safety and management.