The deadly collision occurred near Urda when a state-run Renfe service traveling at high speed struck a stationary Iryo train following an earlier computer malfunction that paralyzed regional traffic. Leaked dispatch audio suggests the moving train was cleared to advance without speed restrictions despite the obstruction ahead. Óscar Puente pledged not to scapegoat individual workers while Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez acknowledged a profound breach of confidence in the high-speed rail network. The disaster marks the second fatal incident along the Madrid-Seville route this year.
Key points
Opposition figures, trade unions, and street demonstrators are demanding the resignation…: Opposition figures, trade unions, and street demonstrators are demanding the resignation of the transport minister over the disaster.
Technical failures and questionable dispatching decisions compounded the operational issu…: Technical failures and questionable dispatching decisions compounded the operational issues that led to the catastrophic impact.
The incident represents the second fatal rail crash along the Madrid-Seville route within…: The incident represents the second fatal rail crash along the Madrid-Seville route within a single calendar year.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
- Published
Spain's transport minister says he won't resign over the high-speed rail collision that has left at least 69 people dead.
Óscar Puente told a news conference in Madrid he had "nothing to hide" while repeating the government's vow to get to the bottom of the disaster, saying many questions needed to be answered.
"My duty right now is not to talk about whether I should remain in my position, but to resolve the problem," Puente said.
The transport minister has been facing calls to step down in the aftermath of the tragedy, including from political rivals, a trade union and demonstrators who protested outside the transport ministry on Wednesday night.
Dozens were killed and many more injured when a state-operated Renfe high-speed train smashed into the back of another stationary train operated by the Iryo company near the town of Urda, in the central Toledo province, on Wednesday morning.
A preliminary report released by transport investigators late on Thursday found the Renfe train was travelling between 160km/h (99.4mph) and 200km/h when the collision occurred, causing its front carriage…
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