Spain’s transport minister resigned days after a train collision that killed at least 69 people
Spain’s transport minister, Óscar Puente, resigned Tuesday, six days after a collision between two high-speed trains near Urda in Toledo province killed 69 people. Puente also withdrew from the Socialist Party’s candidate lists for the Nov. 29 snap general election. The collision was Spain’s second major train crash in less than a year.
More context
Óscar Puente left his post as Spain’s transport minister on Tuesday, six days after 69 people died in a collision involving two high-speed trains near Urda, Toledo province. He also withdrew from the Socialist Party’s candidate lists for the snap general election scheduled for Nov. 29.
Puente told lawmakers he had decided to resign within minutes of learning of the crash but stayed in office while the government coordinated its initial response. Hours before announcing his departure, he had said he would not resign. The collision was Spain’s second fatal high-speed rail crash in less than ten months; The Times reported that the two crashes killed 115 people. The People’s Party, Vox and some government allies had called for his resignation. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez praised Puente for stepping aside “out of dignity” and “out of respect for the victims.”
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Reporting
- Arise News — Spanish Transport Minister Resigns Days After Deadly Train Crash – Arise News
- Al Jazeera — Spanish transport minister resigns after train crash killed 69 people | Transport News | Al Jazeera
- CNN — Spanish transport minister resigns after two deadly train crashes in one year | CNN
- mercopress.com — Spain’s transport minister resigns after the train crash that killed at least 69 people — MercoPress
- plataformamedia.com — Spain’s transport minister Óscar Puente resigns after the Urda crash, which killed 69, and drops out of the Nov. 29 election (with video)
- thetimes.com — Spanish transport minister resigns days after crash that killed 69
Verifier’s note
Arise News, MercoPress, Al Jazeera, Plataforma Media, The Times, and CNN all report that Spain’s transport minister resigned after the crash that killed at least 69 people; the reports are timely and consistent with the claim. NewsCord is a roundup comparing other outlets rather than a direct publisher report.