Arabic version: استقالة وزير النقل الإسباني بعد تصادم قطارين مميت

According to BBC News, Spain’s Transport Minister Óscar Puente has resigned six days after a high-speed train collision near Urda, south of Madrid, killed at least 69 people and injured dozens. Puente announced the decision in Congress after giving evidence on the 28 October disaster, in which a train crashed into the back of another train that had stopped on the same line.

Puente said a transport minister in Spain could not remain in office after two accidents of such seriousness in less than a year, referring also to a January crash on the same line in which 46 people were killed. He said he had decided to resign immediately after the latest disaster but had not made the decision public. He also said he was withdrawing his name from lists for the early legislative elections.

The collision involved a Renfe train carrying 397 passengers and a stationary Iryo train carrying 147 passengers. A reported computer failure in the automatic signalling system had forced trains to halt on the affected stretch. Iryo said its carriages were struck from behind by the other train.

Leaked audio recordings published by Spanish media appear to show that the Renfe train was cleared to continue at normal speed while the Iryo train remained stopped about 25km ahead. The recordings indicate that the control centre had been told the Iryo train could not move. Puente said the decision to instruct the trains to move again without speed restrictions was “inexplicable”.

The crash was one of Europe’s worst modern rail disasters and Spain’s deadliest since 2013. Puente had faced mounting pressure from opposition parties and some government allies to step down. His resignation is a blow to the Socialist-led government before the general election set for 29 November.