Following the serious train accident near Toledo, which resulted in numerous deaths, Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente has announced his resignation. Puente stated during a hearing in Congress on Tuesday that he also does not intend to run in the early parliamentary elections scheduled for the end of November, concluding that a Transportation Minister cannot remain in office after encountering two train incidents within a single year.
The accident occurred on Wednesday morning, shortly before 9 am, when two high-speed trains-an AVE operated by Renfe and a train belonging to Iryo-collided on the route between Madrid and Seville. The incident happened when the AVE crashed into the stationary Iryo train. Tragically, 69 people died, and approximately 200 people were injured, according to the latest reports.
In relation to the crash, Puente cited what he described as an “unexplained” and “wrong” decision by the rail control center as the cause. A computer malfunction led to six moving trains initially stopping, including the two trains involved in the collision. Although usual protocol dictates that the control center takes over if a system fails, the center reportedly decided, under “unexplained circumstances,” to allow the trains to resume movement without adhering to speed limits.
